Coffee Stains
by azuremiko
Summary: Tomoyo and Eriol meet by accident in a coffee shop...and get off on the wrong foot! With a little bit of scheming from Sakura and Syaoran, can the two hit off on a relationship? Or will everything just get screwed up at the wrong moments? EPILOGUE UP
1. Never Ending Arguments

well, this is the first fanfic that I've actually posted here so I hope you enjoy it mucho much. it's still work in progress so please be patient with me! cowers down in corner   
  
disclaimer: no, I don't own cardcaptors...tho...I do own a yummy tub ov green tea ice cream...  
  
CHAPTER ONE: Never Ending Arguments  
  
Tomoyo walked into Ji-Chan's Coffee Shop, gruffly pushing in the door. At 22, Tomoyo was tall and had a slender body. Her unusual, dark purple hair and bright lavender eyes caused many to turn their heads and wonder, 'Who is this pretty girl?' But today, Tomoyo wore a face that caused everyone to nearly look away. Her eyes were narrowed as if she were glaring at everyone though her vision wasn't particularly focused on anyone. She was dressed in an oversized grey hoodie and comfortable, loose-fitted jeans. Her waist-length hair was swept back in an extremely messy ponytail. This look automatically told people not to mess with this certain girl.   
  
As Tomoyo made her way to the register, she angrily thought back to her argument with her mother. Lately, the two seemed to have many disagreements, causing Tomoyo to become stressed and extremely cranky.   
  
Flashback  
  
"Here you go, Mom," Tomoyo said as she handed Sonomi, her mother, a couple of sketches. A few minutes passed as Sonomi riffled through dress designs that Tomoyo herself had come up with.  
  
"I'm sorry Tomoyo-chan," Sonomi said, not looking up from the pages, "Compared to your other designs, I'm not really sure I like these as much."  
  
Tomoyo sweatdropped, knowing what was to come. Despite that, anger started boil inside her as she recalled a conversation just like this one that had also taken place not too long ago.   
  
"That's what you said last time," Tomoyo said through clenched teeth. "How are these so different from my previous designs?"  
  
"I don't know," replied Sonomi, handing back the sketches. "It has...a different feel."  
  
"'A different feel?' What the hell are you talking about?!"   
  
Tomoyo found herself engaged in yet another argument with her mother. Her mother, Sonomi Daidouji, the famous dress seamstress who used Tomoyo's designs to create dresses that awed and amazed all. The famous Sonomi Daidouji, owner of the nationwide popular Midnight Star store. Her mother who was currently on her way to pissing Tomoyo off even more.  
  
"Fine!" Tomoyo shouted, letting her anger completely explode. "You apparently don't need me and my designs so I'll just let you go at it by yourself!" With that, Tomoyo stormed towards the door.  
  
"Tomoyo-chan-"her mother started.  
  
"I don't wanna hear it!" screeched Tomoyo, turning her head slightly to glare at her mother. As she swiftly turned her head back front, she ran straight into the door, banging her head off the glass. Sonomi started towards her daughter but Tomoyo, clutching her head and groaning in pain, left.  
  
End Flashback  
  
'Dammit, this has been way too much for me,' Tomoyo thought as she rubbed her forehead where a huge red mark lingered. She ignored some snickering that come from some lounging customers. Tomoyo continued her trek and walked right into the tall man in front of her.  
  
"Gomen," she muttered and moved aside to the next register.   
  
After placing her order and moving to the side, not to mention bumping into the tall man again, Tomoyo continued to rub her forehead. The bump that had been there was starting to shrink.  
  
'This can't get any worse, this can't get any worse,' Tomoyo thought, trying to reassure herself. 'This week will be over, it'll be over. Things can't get any worse...'  
  
When both her and the tall man's drinks were placed on the side counter, Tomoyo quickly grabbed her latte and followed the man out the door. She wanted to get back home as soon as possible. As she made her way to her sky blue Jetta, Tomoyo gratefully took a large gulp of her drink.  
  
Her lavender eyes widened as she started to gulp down her warm caffeinated drink.  
  
so how d'you like it so far? please review!! begs on hands on knees tell me what you'd like to see later on. (I know what I'm gonna do for the next chap but I'll try hard to comply! ) I wanted to end this chap here so as to make it more "suspenseful" (if you can call it that...) onegai! review review!! 


	2. Losers and Black Coffee

sorry that these chaps seem so short. (they were long on my compute!!) gomen gomen!! I'll try to make them longer next time! and many many thanks to AutumnIllusion, who was the first person to review. –tears ov joy– it made me so happy!! I'll try my best!  
  
disclaimer: me? own cardcaptors? nyahahahaha! no way! give CLAMP the credit, okay?  
  
CHAPTER TWO: Losers and Black Coffee  
  
PSSSSSHHHH!!  
  
Tomoyo's latte went spewing from her mouth, into the air and onto her shiny Jetta.  
  
"Holy shit!!" Tomoyo gagged. "What the hell is this?!!" Tomoyo ripped off the lid and started at the liquid inside. Her jaw dropped. "  
  
Tomoyo was about to make her way back into the shop and complain as she suddenly noticed the tall man that had stood next to her in the shop. He was walking towards the farther end of the parking lot. It suddenly dawned on her.  
  
'Wait...we were next to each other and our drinks both came at the same time...' Tomoyo thought. 'We must've grabbed each other's drink!!'  
  
Despite her crankiness, Tomoyo was grateful that she didn't have to walk back into Ji-Chan's and have everyone stare at her huge red mark. Then, Tomoyo paused for a moment and tilted her head thinking, 'But what kind of loser drinks black coffee...?'  
  
Jogging towards the man, Tomoyo called out, "Excuse me sir!! Excuse meeeeeeeee!!" Even though her voice was clear enough to hear, the man continued to walk towards his car. "Hey! Sir!"  
  
Strategically avoiding sloshing the nasty black coffee all over herself, Tomoyo started to get fired up in annoyance. She quickened her pace. It was going to be a major veinpop...  
  
"Hey! JERK! I'm talking to you!!"  
  
Still, the man didn't turn around. It seemed that he was enjoying the pleasant weather and Tomoyo's latte too much to notice anything else. He was sipping the drink and letting the sun shine onto his facing, causing him to smile softly.  
  
"THAT'S MY LATTE BASTARD!!" Tomoyo roared, finally reaching her ends.  
  
Finally, this seemed to get the man's attention, causing him to turn around. Tomoyo was so surprised that she didn't notice how fast she had ran and found herself right by the man. But she didn't stop running because she noticed that the man's eyes were focused on her and she found herself falling into a deep azure-colored pool.  
  
WHAM!  
  
Shoulder first, Tomoyo crashed into a dark blue SUV, then banging the side of her head into the back windshield wiper. Strangely enough, her grip on the cup of black coffee had not loosened and none of it had splashed out. This went overboard for Tomoyo and tears started to form.  
  
"Are you alright?" asked the man, reaching to help Tomoyo stand straight.  
  
All at once in Tomoyo's head, she could hear different thoughts shoot in and out. The first thought was, "Shit...this really sucks...I HATE THIS!!" The second was, "Damn you! You drank all of my latte!" Lastly was, "Man this guy is hot!" It didn't take her very long to see that this man was extremely handsome. He stood about a head taller than Tomoyo and had midnight blue hair. He wore thin, wire-framed, oval-shaped glasses. Behind the frames were the azure eyes that made Tomoyo melt...and run into the SUV. The man wore a blue, plaid shirt, no buttons buttoned, and underneath that, a white shirt. To complete the outfit, he wore crisp jeans and tennis shoes.  
  
"Miss? Miss?" the man was saying, though Tomoyo heard none of this. She was lost in her own thoughts and having a nice little conversation with herself.  
  
Her stressed out mind said, 'It can't get any worse...there's no way!' Her angry mind spit out, 'I cannot believe the nerve of this loser! I work hard for my money and it was drunk down by this-this nerd in the form of my latte!!' And her half-sane mind said, 'Wow, maybe we could hook up? Whoa...do I see toned muscles?'  
  
Tomoyo shake her head fiercely and muttered, "What the hell am I thinking?!"  
  
"Miss? Excuse me?" the man continued, feeling concern for the young woman. Something told him though, not to get any closer.  
  
It was no use. The angry mind took over Tomoyo's mouth and body. It had had enough for weeks and was sick of being shut out.  
  
"THIS'S FOR DRINKING MY LATTE BASTARD!!" Tomoyo roared through her tears. And before the man could even say 'Gomen' and offer to buy the woman another latte, Tomoyo chucked the cup of coffee at him and stomped away.  
  
The man blinked as he watched Tomoyo plow her way back to her Jetta and drive away, no doubt in fury, burning rubber as she went. When she was gone, he looked down at his shirt. It was drenched with coffee.  
  
He sighed, scratched the back of his head, and bent to pick down the coffee cup that had been thrown at him. He even stopped and sniffed the air.  
  
"Ahh...now that's what black coffee smells like. I was wondering why my drink tasted so different..."  
  
With that, the man climbed into his blue SUV and decided to stop by the nearest auto shop. He needed to buy new windshield wipers for the back.  
  
if you're reading this right now, then it means there's still hope for me!! yayyyy!! I know tomoyo is different here but keep in mind that she's going thru a stressful time. no worries, she's still old tomoyo. please please please review! keep me motivated! 


	3. YOU AGAIN!

dang...I'm having trouble with italics and those little squiggles showing up. and I can't use any ov my smiley thingys. TT –tears– oh hello. I hope this chap turns out long! and thanks again to AutumnIllusion who reviewed again!! you make me feel special!! (I just got the review so I'm adding that really quickly! –smilesmile–)  
  
disclaimer: I don't own cardcaptors...unfortunately...sigh...maybe I could buy it from CLAMP?  
  
CHAPTER THREE: "YOU AGAIN?!"  
  
"Y'know Eriol, I don't think you're cut out for this kinda work..."  
  
"Shut your cute little face dear cousin," Eriol replied in a falsely sweet tone. "Mmrph..."  
  
Eriol was struggling as he worked to install some new windshield wipers. Syaoran shrugged and checked himself out using the SUV's windows. As Syaoran moved his face this way and that, seeing his face at different angles, he said, "Dude, what's up with your shirt? You fall in a puddle or something?"  
  
"Nah," answered Eriol, pausing to wipe off the sweat from his forehead. He ran his fingers through his hair. "I just happened to get a latte instead."  
  
This caused Syaoran to look up and stare at his cousin. A look of disbelief spread over his handsome face.  
  
"Huh? Have you cracked?" Syaoran said cautiously.  
  
He stepped up and placed his hand to Eriol's forehead. Syaoran's face scrunched up in confusion, clearly finding something wrong. Then Syaoran folded his arms and said seriously, "Dude, I thought you always ordered black coffee? A latte is a big step for you. You didn't drink it, right? I mean, can you handle it? You could at least start by adding sugar but a latte?! No no no...sugar is too much. Start with cream...go for half and half."  
  
As Syaoran continued to ramble on Eriol interrupted saying, "Well, I stopped by Ji-Chan's to pick up a coffee" Eriol returned his attention to the windshield wipers, "and, well, I guess I was the last straw for that poor girl."  
  
Syaoran nodded smartly, saying, "Yes, I knew you'd agree with me, dear cousin. You don't need to start off so strong. Take your time, baby steps. Start with cream and then–"  
  
CRACKK! came the sound as Eriol's wipers made contact with the side of Syaoran's head.  
  
"Aw damn you Eriol!" Syaoran cried as he clutched his head. "Why'd you hafta swing that hard?"  
  
"Are you even listening?" Eriol demanded, feeling slightly annoyed. "You're the one that was wondering."  
  
"Yeah yeah yeah. I beg forgiveness oh mighty one. Please continue," Syaoran said, sweeping into an exasperated bow. When he stood up, the sun's angle was perfect, making Syaoran's milk-chocolate eyes twinkle.  
  
Eriol told his coffee shop incident to Syaoran. The wipers were still being clutched by Eriol but were really forgotten for the time being. The two guys were pretty engrossed in the story.  
  
At the end of the story...  
  
"And she hurled my coffee at me and here's my stain."  
  
Syaoran was leaning against the SUV with his arms folded. His head was bowed and his face shaded. He seemed to be deep in thought about this incident.  
  
"Whaddya think, Syaoran?" asked Eriol. "Someday for me and her huh?"  
  
No answer. 'He's really into this!' Eriol thought with a spark of surprise. 'Heh heh. I bet this kinda stuff never happens to him.'  
  
A couple more minutes went by with Syaoran's thoughtful thinking. Eriol's eye twitched.  
  
"Oy...Syaoran..."  
  
"Zzzzzzzzzzzzz..."  
  
CRACKK!  
  
"Yowwwwwwwww!!" Syaoran howled, immediately waking up. "Man, you need to stop that!!"  
  
With a raised eyebrow from Eriol, Syaoran straightened himself out and tried to continue that conversation. He scratched his head and said, "Oh yeah...so what about the girl?"  
  
"She was beautiful, man. Well, I guess she would've been prettier if she weren't in such a shitty mood but man.." Eriol whistled.  
  
"If she was so beautiful, why didn't you ask her out?" Syaoran shot back matter-of-factly.  
  
Eriol chuckled and replied, "Humph. With that look, she was ready to kill anyone. Not to mention the fact that I'd made it worse from drinking her latte..."  
  
"NANI?!" yelped Syaoran. "YOU DRANK A LATTE?!!" Syaoran dropped to his knees, clutching his head. "OH NOOOOOOOOO! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING YOU STUPID MORON?!!"  
  
Eriol shrugged. Syaoran's mind was racing. 'Oh shit. Drinking anything but black coffee is gonna make Eriol go crazy!! What am I gonna do? When the police call, they're gonna say I'm responsible and press charges...arrgghhh. Why'd I end up with such a screwed up relative?!'  
  
"Oh damn. You have such a hard head, Syaoran," Eriol joked, looking at the bent wipers. "Looks like I'll have to go out and buy another one. Dang..."  
  
As Syaoran stood up, he put on his best heart warming smile and said cheerfully, "Eriol, how bout you stay the night over here with me and Sakura? You haven't met her yet have you? She should be home soon. No need to stay home alone, heh heh heh. We can stay up alllllll night playing video games. You like that right? Oh man, why don't we throw those shirts of yours into the wash?"  
  
Even though Eriol didn't respond, Syaoran pushed his cousin and wiper into the house and laughed nervously, babbling as he went.  
  
–Later that night...–  
  
"You guys hungry yet?" came Sakura's voice from the kitchen.  
  
"Yeah!" both men responded, eyes glued to the TV screen. Both were playing fighting games and in the middle of an intensive battle.  
  
Sakura had come home from work shortly after Syaoran had ushered (and locked) Eriol in the house. After becoming acquainted with Eriol, she said she'd be glad to let Eriol stay over for the night.  
  
–Short Flashback–  
  
"But is it safe for him to stay with us?" Sakura whispered anxiously.  
  
"Trust me, better here than alone in his house," Syaoran whispered back. "We can keep him in check."  
  
"We?" Sakura inquired with a raised eyebrow.  
  
"Okay okay. Me. Yes yes yes. He is MY cousin. Dammit, I feel like I'm already in trouble with the police..." mumbled Syaoran.  
  
–End Flashback–  
  
BBBRING! BRRING! The sound of the phone blended in with the sizzling from the kitchen and the washing machine (that was currently hard at work to get out the coffee stains).  
  
Sakura picked up the phone in the kitchen and her face split into a wide grin. The two guys could hear Sakura's cheerful voice say, "Oh!! I'm so glad you called! How have you been?"  
  
"It's probably her cousin," Syaoran said as he furiously punched the buttons on the controller. His eyes still didn't leave the screen. "They're really close and–HAHAHAHAHA! Take that!! That's my new Nova Lightening Attack!!"  
  
"Awww...you poor thing. Hey! How bout you stop by and stay over? You can come meet Syaoran and his cousin too! He's staying over," Sakura said in a sympathetic voice. "Okay, see you in five. Ja!"  
  
"Her cousin, huh?" Eriol said calmly. His fingers were also flying across the controller. Apparently, the latte was starting to kick in slowly. "Maybe she'll be as cute as Sakura?" he teased.  
  
"Hey man, you stay away from my woman! Oh no!" Syaoran cried as his fighter lost.  
  
DING DONG! and Sakura raced to the door, swung it open and gave a short scream of delight.  
  
"Sakura-chan!" cried another voice. It sounded tired but melodious at the same time. "How's it going?! I haven't seen you in so long!!"  
  
(Even with the other guest, the guys still kept playing their video games.)  
  
"Too long! C'mon to the living room. I want you to meet Syaoran and his cousin Eriol."  
  
Eriol, coming to his senses and remembering to be polite, looked up and smiled, though he didn't stop playing nor stand up.  
  
As soon as he did, his controller dropped out of his hands and his jaw dropped.  
  
"Haha! Eriol, you are such a loser! How'd you like eating my Triple Earthquake Combo?" Syaoran cried gleefully. He looked over towards the two girls. "Oh, you must be Tomoyo!"  
  
Tomoyo, standing at the entrance of the living room, was in shock. Her mouth was curved in a weird smile of disbelief and her eye was twitching.  
  
Eriol gulped. For once, he couldn't find any words. 'I can't believe it...it's the latte girl.'  
  
'I can't believe it...it's the black coffee jerk,' Tomoyo thought. Finally she was the first to speak..  
  
"YOU AGAIN?!"  
  
so, finally after two chaps, eriol and tomoyo meet again. I'm really sorry that it took so long. I didn't want to happen right away. gomen! review review review!! onegai! send any suggestions or whatever. I don't mind. –smile– 


	4. Fate's Twisted Mind

thanks to those who reviewed! no matter what, I appreciate it a ton! AutumnIllusion: thanks for the tip bout the italics (it was really getting on my nerves) and you'll hafta keep reading to see what happens!  
  
disclaimer: CLAMP owns cardcaptors. look, even the first letters are the same...oh. I guess I should mention that I don't own soul calibur also? nyahaha. all hail the best ps2 game created.  
  
CHAPTER FOUR: Fate's Twisted Mind  
  
Sakura and Syaoran blinked. Tomoyo was pointing an accusing finger at Eriol. Eriol still sat in front of the TV screen, his hands molded as if he were still holding the game controller. A couple minutes went by in silence. Even the sounds of the kitchen and washing machine had stopped.  
  
"Erm..." Sakura started, looking nervously from Tomoyo to Eriol. "Um, Tomoyo-chan, this is um–Eriol Hiiragizawa, Syaoran's cousin." Sakura's voice somewhat faded as Tomoyo continued to glare at Eriol. Eriol's jaw was still dropped from shock. Sakura cleared her throat and continued. "Eriol, this is Tomoyo Daidouji. My cousin."  
  
More silence. Finally, Eriol was the first to move. He stood up and started to walk towards Tomoyo. His mind was racing. The good part of him was thinking, 'Okay. Time to make a good impression. Yeah, good impressions are good.' Another part, the evil, was thinking, 'Okay. She thinks she's the only that's pissed off here? Think again sweetheart!'  
  
Clearing his throat, Eriol reached out and took Tomoyo's hand saying, "Nice to meet you, Tomoyo. Again." He started to bend his head so he could kiss Tomoyo's hand but before his lips touched Tomoyo's skin, he stopped.  
  
'What are you doing?!' screeched the evil mind. 'She's the one that spilled coffee all over you!' 'Actually, the correct term would be 'chucked' coffee,' the sensible mind corrected. 'Oh shut the hell up,' the first mind snapped. 'What's the point in trying to make the good impression? It's clear that she doesn't like you...yes, she is hot but you've lost your chance, buddy.'  
  
Eriol shook his head and decided that a good impression was the best way to go. But before he could kiss Tomoyo's hand, she wrenched it away, accidentally slapping Eriol. Quite hard actually, leaving a nice pink mark on his cheek.  
  
"Oh..." Tomoyo muttered, realizing what she had done.  
  
More silence went by...Syaoran was thinking, 'Well, I'm surprised. Eriol hasn't cracked yet. The latte hasn't kicked in. I guess seeing Tomoyo was the antidote.' Syaoran smirked. Meanwhile, Sakura was thinking, 'Oh...this is weird. These two met before? Obviously they started off wrong. This could be a major problem...'  
  
Tomoyo herself was lost in her own thoughts. 'This is way too much. When things couldn't have gotten any worse. Damn...I feel bad.' 'No need to feel bad.' 'Who the hell are you?' 'I'm your 'stressed mind.' I seem to be around more often.' Tomoyo shook her head. 'I'm seriously going insane!!' 'Yeah well, I say you just clobber the guy.' 'Oh God. Who are you?' 'The angry mind.' This was a little too much. Tomoyo grabbed her head and screamed, "SHUT UP!!"  
  
Everyone stared. This didn't stop Tomoyo's minds to continue chatting in her head.  
  
'What the hell is this? Are we having a tea party?!' Tomoyo thought. 'Well, all that aside, have you noticed this guys body?' asked the stressed mind. 'Oooooh. I agree,' remarked the angry mind. 'Take a look, Tomoyo-chan!'  
  
Of course, Tomoyo looked up. Throughout her shock, she seemed to have missed the fact that Eriol was completely shirtless. Looking up, she could see his lean stomach and yes, toned muscles, as she had predicted. Then she blushed, realizing what she had done, and looked down.  
  
'What the hell am I doing?!!' she thought angrily. 'And don't need any comments from you two!' addressing her "other" minds.  
  
"Oh!" Eriol said, noticing Tomoyo's face. "Heh heh. Gomen. My shirts are in the wash."  
  
Finally, Tomoyo looked up, gave a shot at smiling sincerely, and stuck out her hand.  
  
"Nice to meet you again too. I'm Tomoyo."  
  
'Why did I say that?! He already knows my name! Baka!' Tomoyo thought, feeling even stupider. But her smile was returned. Eriol's azure eyes crinkled, making Tomoyo melt. Eriol shook her hand, proving that he had nice firm grip. Tomoyo couldn't help noticing how soft Eriol's hands were.  
  
"Well! Now that that's all settled, why don't we eat dinner?" Sakura said cheerfully, though she was still confused on what had happened between Tomoyo and Eriol.  
  
"Great idea!" Syaoran joined in. "I'm sure that Sakura had prepared something very–"  
  
His words were cut off as a strong burning smell wafted into the living room...  
  
"AAAHHHHHH!!!" Sakura screamed as she sped towards the kitchen. Tomoyo followed her.  
  
The two guys alone, turned towards each other. Syaoran wore a smirk that made Eriol feel extremely annoyed. He knew what was going to come from his cousin's mouth next.  
  
"I can tell, dear cousin," Syaoran said in a smug voice, "that this's gonna turn out to be verrrrry interesting."  
  
Rolling his eyes and brushing past Syaoran, Eriol headed to the laundry room to throw on his shirts. As he pulled on his warm, white tee-shirt, now devoid of coffee stain, Eriol's eyes snapped wide open.  
  
'Dammit...it's starting...I've gotta hold it in somehow!' he thought as scrunched his eyes close. It looked like he was in pain. He put on his plaid shirt and left the laundry room.  
  
Meanwhile, in the kitchen...  
  
"Man, what the hell happened between you two, Tomoyo-chan?" Sakura demanded as she grabbed bubbling pots off the stove. "The looks on your faces! Phew!"  
  
"Can we please not talk about that now?!" Tomoyo growled, helping by turning off the stoves.  
  
As the girls salvaged the food, Sakura said suddenly, "He IS quite good looking, huh?"  
  
"Wha-?"  
  
"I mean, Eriol."  
  
"I know what you mean. I mean, why bring it up?"  
  
As Sakura opened a cabinet to grab some plates, Tomoyo instantly saw it: the mischievous glint in the emerald eyes. Before Tomoyo could accuse her best friend, Sakura swept out of the kitchen and into the dining room.  
  
Dinner went by as if all four were old friends. Things were still slightly tense between Tomoyo and Eriol though. They treated each other politely, which was a little too formal and uncomfortable to be described as "old friends." All together with Sakura and Syaoran, nothing was held back. No one would've been able to tell that all four had been fully aquatinted today. As far as conversations went, Tomoyo and Eriol spent their time explaining what had happened. Throughout this, Tomoyo would mumble a 'Gomen' or 'I don't know what was wrong with me' or 'I was really stressed at the time.' Soon, dinner was over and everyone remained at the table, sipping on drinks and chatting. The conversation turned around to Eriol's "weakness" for drinking any type of coffee drink other than black coffee. Syaoran decided that he would be the perfect candidate in explaining.  
  
"You see, to make a short story even shorter, when my man Eriol here drinks, for example, a latte, he gets hyper...and drunk, in senses."  
  
"No need to put it so bluntly!" Eriol commented, laughing it off. It was a good hearted laugh, but everyone could see that he was clearly embarrassed.  
  
"I'm confused," Tomoyo said, sipping her green tea. "How can you be drunk and hyper at the same time?"  
  
"Yeah. Isn't that, like an oxymoron?" Sakura added, a curious look on her face.  
'Damn...I feel like a moron right now,' Eriol thought, sweatdropping.  
  
"Waaaait...shouldn't that have kicked in yet?" Syaoran inquired, suddenly suspicious. "Normally after a couple of hours, you're completely wired."  
  
Eriol shrugged and said, "I guess I'm cured."  
  
Unfortunately, that was not the case. After the end of this conversation and the start of a new, it seemed like Eriol couldn't sit still. Suddenly, Eriol stood up and said loud and clearly, "Tomoyo!"  
  
"Eh?!" Tomoyo's face resembled her face when she first saw Eriol again.  
  
"I believe you owe me something for ruining my shirts!" This wasn't the normal tone that Eriol talked in. It seemed more demanding and forceful.  
  
'Oh God...' Tomoyo thought. 'I didn't grow up to be a hooker!! Oh no oh no oh no!!'  
  
Syaoran folded his arms. 'His shirts are clean...that baka. Apparently it's starting...Oh boy. This should be pretty damn good.'  
  
"Gomen, but I'm not that kinda girl..." Tomoyo mumbled, her cheeks turning very red. "I'm sure I can repay you some other–"  
  
"LET'S DUKE IT OUT ON SOUL CALIBUR!!"  
  
This time, Tomoyo, including Sakura and Syaoran wore a "Tomoyo face."  
  
So...later that night...  
  
"MUWAHAHAHAHA! TAKE THAT!" roared Tomoyo.  
  
"NO WAY!" Eriol shouted. "C'MON YOSHIMITSU!! DON'T LET ME DOWN!"  
  
"NO WAY CAN YOU BEAT ME!" shouted Tomoyo. "I'M A MASTER OF ELBOW BLADES!"  
  
"OH YEAH?! TAAAAAAAAAKE THIS!"  
  
"OH NO!!"  
  
"NYAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I'M GONNA WIN–OH SHIT!"  
  
"I WIN! I WIN I WIN I WIN I WIN!!" Tomoyo cried, leaping up.  
  
"NO FAIR! I DECLARE A RE-MATCH!"  
  
Syaoran and Sakura both shook their heads. It was going to be a long night.  
  
I hope you enjoyed this chap! I'm working hard to update daily. I need a break. as always, review! please send suggestions if you have any! til the next chap, ja ne! 


	5. Setting Up the Scheme

disclaimer: CLAMP plus cardcaptors equals it doesn't belong to ji. period.

CHAPTER FIVE: Setting Up the Scheme

As Syaoran had predicted, it had been a hectic night. A couple of neighbors had called to complain about the noise, but luckily, the police didn't make a visit. Of course, Tomoyo and Eriol did "duke it out" to the max. Eriol's hyperness didn't wear out until 3 in the morning. Unfortunately, he made sure that Tomoyo stayed awake for the entire marathon.

Sakura and Syaoran sat at the kitchen table the next morning, sipping fresh brewed coffee. Eriol and Tomoyo had been completely knocked out in the living room. Eriol lay sprawled messily on the couch while Tomoyo was curled up in the large arm chair.

"But Syaoran," Sakura said, "I'm still confused. How can you be hyper and drunk at the same time?"

"Ah, well, Eriol gets hyper in the beginning," Syaoran explained, refilling his mug, "But when he wakes up the next morning, he kinda goes through a type of hangover. Y'see? Like he was drunk the night before."

Sakura chuckled as she could see Eriol and Tomoyo sleeping in the living room. As she reached for her coffee, she noticed that Syaoran was watching her.

"Nani?"

"You've got the glint in your eye," Syaoran said, shaking his head. "Don't tell me–"

"Aw...c'mon, Syaoran. I know you were thinking the same thing. Don't you think they'd be totally kawaii together?" Sakura said teasingly. Her mischievous smile made her eyes sparkle.

Syaoran gave a comical shrug as if he didn't have an opinion. He chugged down the rest of his coffee. One eyed open as he gulped down the last drop, noticing the time on his watch. Syaoran nearly choked on his drink.

"Oh shit! I better get going. I've only got five minutes to get to the office!" Syaoran kissed Sakura on the top of her head as he rushed to the living room, giving a good kick Eriol's way.

"Uh?" came Eriol's groggy voice. "Whassamatter?"

"Dude, you're gonna be late! Get up!"

"But...I don't feel so good...ooooohhh...I didn't have too much to drink did I?"

"No, you didn't. But how d'you expect to feel after going through 144 rounds of Soul Calibur?"

"I feel...like I have a hangover...uhhhhhhhh..."

"I know, I KNOW! NOW GET YOUR ASS UP! YOU'RE GONNA BE LATE!"

"O-okay..."

"C'mon man. We'll take your car."

Eriol tumbled off the couch and walked, as if he was drunk, to the door.

"See you tonight, Sakura," Syaoran called, but not to loud. He didn't want to wake up Tomoyo. He felt sincere sympathy towards her; he knew exactly what it was like to be in her spot.

"Don't forget about what we talked about!" Sakura called back.

Syaoran rolled his eyes as he helped Eriol out and closed the door. As Sakura took another sip of coffee, she could see Tomoyo over the rim. Her heart filled with love for her cousin AND best friend.

'Don't worry, Tomoyo-chan,' Sakura thought. 'I know a perfect couple when I see one.'

–Later that day...–

Eriol, recovered from his "hangover," was well at work and now enjoying a short break in his office. He stared at the computer screen sitting in front of him. He was currently working on a plan for a modern style house. Eriol's reputation as an architect was a good one, something he was proud of.

Right when Eriol picked up his mug of black coffee, his door flew open.

"Eriol!! How you feelin'?!"

"Well, my vision cleared up," Eriol answered jokingly. At this, Syaoran laughed, a little too hard. Of course, this caused Eriol to become slightly suspicious. "What d'you want?"

Syaoran laughed again. "Do I need a reason to come visit you? I mean, our buildings ARE right next to each other!"

'Not that that has to do with anything...' Eriol thought, taking a sip of coffee.

Leaping around Eriol's desk, Syaoran leaned in over Eriol's shoulder, looking at the computer screen.

"Oh...I see that you're designing again? You never stop do you?" laughed Syaoran.

'This laughing is starting to get annoying...' Eriol thought.

"Wow! I see that you're coming up with new designs! This round thing looks cool. What is it? Looks like a shelf to me!" Syaoran said enthusiastically. His finger jabbed at the computer screen.

"That, dear cousin, is a toilet."

"Right! Of course!" Syaoran exclaimed, slapping Eriol on the back. Eriol, who had just taken a sip of coffee, spitting it out. All over his computer screen.

"Listen you..." Eriol started, getting extremely annoyed.

"Hmm? Nani?"

"Why are you here? You never bother to come visit me unless you need money for lunch."

With a cunning grin, Syaoran cleared his throat and recited, "'Roses are lame, violets are too and sugar's so sweet that it makes you spew!'"

Eriol blinked. He set down his mug. Then he cleared his throat. "Alrighty. How about this? 'Here's a secret to tell: Syaoran, you're as annoying as hell.' Now get out." Eriol stood up and made his way to pushing his cousin out the way he came.

"You missed it, man!" Syaoran said, dodging successfully. "The point of my rhyme was to give you a hint."

"Yeah. I got the hint. You're a horrible poet. And apparently didn't know it. NOW GET OUT. YOU ARE ANNOYING THE HELL OUTTA ME."

"As usual, you fail to see the point. I'm telling you that she's different!"

A curious look suddenly spread over Eriol's face. He forgot his annoyance with Syaoran and tilted his head. "She? Who?"

"Ah ha. I knew you'd ask. She's not your normal girl! She's not your normal 'roses are red, violets are blue and blah blah.' You gotta meet her!" Syaoran said. He shrugged as if everything was so obvious. And as if everything that came out of his mouth made sense. Which didn't.

"Don't try dumping Sakura on me–"

"No way! Just do us all a favor. Go on this date, okay?"

"Who's 'us'?"

"That's besides the point," Syaoran said, waving that aside. "Go meet this girl. You'll like her."

"If I say yes, will you leave me alone?"

"Yeah. Geez, aren't you in a cranky mood?"

Eriol started to push Syaoran out of his office. Syaoran didn't object but he said, "Listen, meet her at that bench on the middle of Spinnel Sun Bridge."

"The one over the river?"

"Yeah, by the park. Alright, quit pushing! I'm going! Meet her after work!"

And with that, Syaoran left, closing the door with a slight slam. Right when the door was closed, Syaoran covered his face with one hand. 'Urgh.....this guy is a tough case.'

–Happening at the same time when Syaoran first walked into Eriol's office...–

"Ne, Tomoyo-chan?"

"Nani?"

Sakura didn't answer as she casually took her time flipping through the clothes rack. The girls decided to hang out for the day. After eating lunch at Sakura's house, the two were at the mall. Tomoyo knew that something was brewing inside her friend but didn't push it. She let Sakura take her time. Sakura chose out a shirt, held it up, inspected it, and added it to her pile of good finds. Finally, she spoke.

"So, Tomoyo-chan...you're kinda lonely, huh?"

"'Lonely'? Um...I'm not sure what you mean by that, but I guess in a sense..."

"Things aren't going so well? With your mom an' all."

"Yeah..." Tomoyo replied, wanting to avoid the subject of her mom.

"You could use a friend, right?"

"I've got you!" Tomoyo said cheerfully. "I don't need to depend on anyone else!"

Sakura smiled. She continued. "Well...I know that it's been awhile since we've hung out. I spend a lot of my time with Syaoran now."

"You really love him don't you?" Tomoyo asked softly.

"I do. More and more everyday," replied Sakura in the some soft voice. The two smiled at each other. "So!" Sakura cried suddenly, also more cheerfully. "That means I need to hook you up!"

Tomoyo sweatdropped. She knew that she should've seen this coming. Then she sighed, following her cousin and friend, weaving in and out of clothes racks. "Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo cried in an exasperated tone. "You know I hate it when you pull stunts like this!"

"I know!" Sakura called back, waving her hand. "That's why I do it!"

"That makes no sense..." Tomoyo muttered. Trying to catch up with Sakura and ripping clothes off racks at the same time proved to be difficult work. "Dammit...will you slow down? What got you going so fast all of a sudden? You hate shopping with me!"

Sakura grinned. It had a tint of mischief. "This is because, my dear cousin and friend, that I need to find a totally kawaii outfit for your date!" And with that, Sakura was off again.

Tomoyo stood speechless, her arms limp at her sides. When she came back to her senses, she threw her arms up in the air. The clothes in her hands nearly showered on top of her. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!" she screamed, not hesitating to keep her voice down. She stomped after Sakura.

Twirling around, one finger on her lip, Sakura winked and said, "You're going on a blind date!"

"NANIIIIIIIIII?!"

I hope you liked this chap! I've been taking a break but it seems that I have no life whatsoever and continued writing. I've also been having trouble with my stupid program here and it's all been hell. –sigh– yes yes yes, I know tomoyo's screaming and shouting more often but keep in mind that she IS still stressed. onegai! review x100 (or whatever number you prefer) keep me motivated!! send suggestions and what not. see you in the next chap! (given that this stupid program lets me...) and don't ask me why i added in that weird rhyming dialogue. –shake head–


	6. Stolen Daisy

1disclaimer: cardcaptors belongs to CLAMP! I gotta get that thru my head!!

CHAPTER SIX: Stolen Daisy

A sky blue Jetta pulled into the gravel parking lot of Clow Park. The driver's door opened. Tomoyo climbed out. She wore a dark denim jacket over a plain lilac tee-shirt and a plain white miniskirt that ended slightly above her knees. For shoes, Tomoyo wore scuffed, black, lace-up combat boots that nearly reached her knees. Her outfit made her look casual but as Sakura said, it somehow made her look mysterious. Tomoyo couldn't figure out why, but when she looked at herself in the mirror, she had to agree. She let her long hair flow freely. Everything looked perfect...except for Tomoyo's face. She wore a scowl, which made her look more like she had been up all night. Of course, she had been up all night, but it wasn't the reason for her scowl.

–Flashback–

Before Tomoyo headed out for her date, she found herself in front of Midnight Star. In her hand she clutched her sketchbook, filled with another set of new designs. This set Tomoyo had set aside for another time so she could give herself some time off.

'I must be getting desperate, showing up here again. We only just fought yesterday...' Tomoyo thought, feeling annoyed with herself. Something inside told her that she couldn't let her mother win. Plus, Tomoyo was determined to see more of her current designs in the shop window.

Sighing, Tomoyo forced herself to smile. Then, she pushed in the door and walked in.

...Minutes Later...

Tomoyo came marching out, with a look of fury. People on the sidewalk cleared the way to let Tomoyo cross to her car. Wrenching open the door, Tomoyo brutally threw her sketchbook into her car. Following it, she climbed in and drove away.

–End Flashback–

The crunch of gravel under her feet brought Tomoyo back to her senses. Her insides were still erupting over her argument with her mother. It was simply another repeat of her day yesterday. Either her mother's sense of style had been worn down or Tomoyo's designs, quite simply, sucked. This was the simple solution that Tomoyo had come up with. Neither made her feel any better.

'What am I doing here?' she thought. Her feet continued to walk through the park, along the river. 'I'm already in a bad mood and knowing me, I'll flip out on the poor guy. Dammit! I hate this! I need to go tell him that's it off. This isn't my week. Or month...'

Despite her bad mood, Tomoyo looked up and enjoyed the rays of the setting sun on her face. The silent roar of the river next to her made her feel free. This still didn't change anything; Tomoyo was still planing to call off the date. She just wasn't in the mood. Her scowl had reemerged.

"Here goes nothing," Tomoyo muttered as she stepped foot onto Spinnel Sun Bridge.

Spinnel Sun Bridge was famous with among locals. No matter where one was on the bridge, people could see the sunset clearly. It was known as the best spot in town to see the sunset. Not only were the sunset views were famous, but the bridge was always the brightest spot in the park.

Tomoyo made her way to the center of the bridge. Her steps were silent so she wasn't surprised that her date hadn't noticed her. He was sitting on a bench, watching the sunset. Tomoyo stopped behind the bench. Somehow, she couldn't bring herself to face the guy face-to-face. She felt horrible about it but she didn't want to see his face after she just dumped him off.

"Listen pal," Tomoyo started. 'Oh shit,' she thought, knowing something was wrong. It was clear that her 'angry' and 'stressful' mind had taken over her mouth. The way she had started speaking made her sound like she had yesterday at Ji-Chan's Coffee Shop. Even knowing this, her mouth didn't stop. "I'm in shitty mood and–"

The man had looked back at her. Tomoyo's mouth dropped.

"E-Eriol?"

Eriol's face split into a grin. "I thought it was you, Tomoyo. I couldn't mistake that tone."

Tomoyo remained speechless. In her mind, she told herself that she should've knew that Sakura was scheming to set the two up together but it never dawned on her.

"So," Eriol continued, "what're you doing here?"

If it was possible, this made Tomoyo's jaw drop even farther. Two thoughts were streaming through her mind: 'This guy is completely dense!' and 'Hold on...he IS the guy that I was supposed to meet...right?'

"I-I...We–" Tomoyo stuttered.

"Oh...are you here to meet someone?"

Tomoyo burst with annoyance. "YOU! I'M MEETING YOU, DAMMIT!" At this, Eriol blinked. "I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! ISN'T IT SIMPLE?! CAN'T YOU CATCH ON TO THAT?! OR IS IT THAT YOU DON'T WANT IT TO BE ME! HUH? HUH? WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME?! AM I THAT HORRIBLE?!" Tomoyo started to calm down, breathing at quickened pace.

After a moment of silence, Eriol stood up. He was also a little "dressed-up" but looked casual. He wore a long sleeved, white dress shirt, unbuttoned, over a dark blue tee-shirt. The shade of blue matched his eyes. He wore jeans and athletic tennis shoes.

'Shit. I exploded again,' Tomoyo thought. She could feel tears starting to form. Lately, it had been getting harder for her to hold it in. Before she turned to leave, Eriol's voice stopped her.

"Gomen. I didn't realize. Why don't you join me?" His voice was warm and inviting, not at all stiff.

Tomoyo blinked and nodded. She silently took a seat on the bench as Eriol sat back down.

"I guess I'm pretty dense, huh?" Eriol laughed. "You were the last person I expected."

Tomoyo's hands were clenched together in her lap. She was staring at them, feeling worse than she had after her recent argument.

"But I'm glad it was you."

This statement made Tomoyo look up at Eriol, completely astonished. Eriol was smiling at her, the eyes behind his glasses sparkling. Unknowingly, Tomoyo blushed.

"Besides, it'd be even more dangerous if it were any other guy!" Eriol laughed, looking forward at the sunset.

Tomoyo felt slightly annoyed but also agreed. Silence followed Eriol's last comment. The two sat side by side, watching the sun set farther down the horizon.

"Eriol? I–I...Gomen."

"For what?" Eriol asked curious, turning to look at Tomoyo.

'Man, he really IS dense,' Tomoyo thought. She didn't turn to meet his gaze. Nonetheless, she continued to talk. "I'm always yelling at you. You didn't even do anything wrong! Lately, everything's been just wrong and I've been keeping it to myself." Tomoyo chuckled. "Lucky you, you hit the spot."

"That's okay," replied Eriol. "You shouldn't let things get bottled up inside you. A face like yours shouldn't look so angry."

Silence...Tomoyo wasn't really sure if she should take this as a compliment or an insult. Either he was implying that she looked like a complete monster and looked like she was capable to take out an entire city...or maybe her face just didn't look right angry. Tomoyo decided to ignore that.

"Tomoyo...Gomenasai."

"Huh? What're you apologizing for?" Tomoyo looked at Eriol with a look of amusement on her face. After all, she was the one that should've been on her hands and knees, begging for forgiveness.

"I kept you up all night. I don't know what I was thinking!"

For the first time in awhile, Tomoyo threw her head back and laughed. Her laugh made Eriol smile.

"No way! I totally enjoyed it!" she reassured. "It's been so long since I've actually played Soul Calibur!"

"I was surprised. You were pretty pumped up about it. I even think you might be better than Syaoran. In fact, you almost beat me!"

"Well, that's me and my elbow blades! It's just all that practice I get!"

This time it was Eriol that had the amused look on his face. "Practice? You practice?"

Tomoyo chuckled and answered, "Damn straight I do! It's my daily workout."

At this, Eriol laughed. The two got into a deep conversation about Soul Calibur, talking about all it's angles. Who they preferred, whose costumes were the ugliest, who had the coolest attacks and so on. When they finished, the sun had nearly disappeared from the horizon.

"Wanna walk around?" Eriol asked.

"Sure," Tomoyo replied with a shrug. She stood up and wiped her skirt, even though it was clean. As the two stepped off Spinnel Sun Bridge, Eriol snapped his fingers.

"I just remembered!" he said excitedly.

"Hmm? Nani?" Tomoyo asked, curious.

"I forgot to buy flowers!"

"Oh no, it's okay! Really!" laughed Tomoyo.

But Eriol heard nothing of this. He strode towards a line of flowers that trailed along the sidewalk along the park. All of a sudden, Syaoran's stupid rhyme rang in Eriol's head. Eriol passed by the roses, then the violets, and stopped at a bushel of daisies. He looked around to make sure no one was around. No one seemed to be around except for Tomoyo, standing behind him. She had her arms crossed and a bemused smile on her face. Eriol wiped out his car keys and used it as a knife to crisply cut through the stem.

"Oy! What d'you think you're doing?!" shouted a voice.

Eriol and Tomoyo jumped up in shock. What looked like a park keeper was standing about 10 yards away.

"Damn teenagers!" he shouted, started running towards the two.

This caused both Eriol and Tomoyo to laugh. Eriol grabbed Tomoyo's hand and dragged her away and ran off.

"But we're not teenagers!" Eriol called back, smiling at the same time.

"You're definitely not adults either!!" the park keeper shouted, giving up on chasing after the two.

The two laughed again as they ran. When they finally put distance between themselves and the old park keeper, the plopped down onto a bench, still laughing hysterically. Finally, when they calmed down, Eriol swept back his hair and handed Tomoyo the single daisy.

"I was working to get another one," Eriol said apologetically.

Tomoyo looked at the daisy, her eyes soft. Night was close to sweeping the park in darkness. The lamp post lights had flickered on. Even though it was getting dark, this didn't chase away people. Still couples or joggers would go by, enjoying the cool breeze. After a couple minutes of silence, somehow, the two got into a conversation about work. Eriol had explained that he worked as an architect. He had designed houses, mostly modern, and also office buildings. Tomoyo said that she worked as a fashion designer but mostly focused on dresses of all sorts.

"But it doesn't seem that I have much luck," Tomoyo said, her voice sounding tired. "My mom thinks my style's gone down or something."

"Ah...I see. Your mom owns Midnight Star, right?" Eriol inquired. He looked genuinely interested. "And that huge toy company, right?"

Without answering, Tomoyo nodded. She was twirling the daisy absent-mindedly. Then she said, "Yeah. That's my dear ol' mom."

"She's the cause of your stress, huh?"

Inside, Tomoyo was surprised to hear this. Of course she knew it was true, but she didn't reply. Eriol continued, "I can understand that. But it's not necessarily your designs, or your mom's new sense of fashion."

Again, Tomoyo felt surprised. 'It's like he can read my mind.'

"It could be though. It's really how you look at it. You need to look at it from both points. Could you be designing something that you didn't put your heart into?'

Tomoyo was about to protest, interjecting that she put all of her heart and soul into her designs, but Eriol continued.

"I know a lot of designers of any profession design for their customers, but what about designing for yourself?"

'This doesn't make any sense...' Tomoyo thought. She continued to play with the daisy, avoiding Eriol's eyes.

"You design what people want to see. You want to satisfy their own desires and wants, but you need to ask yourself what you want."

"I don't get it." Tomoyo finally looked up and looked at Eriol. Eriol looked patient, like a parent trying to explain something to their little kid.

"Design for yourself. That's what I'm saying. When there's a design you want to put down on paper, do it for yourself."

"Isn't that kinda selfish?" Tomoyo asked, tilting her head. She was still lost. She wondered how long it would take Eriol to explain this clearly to her.

Eriol shook his head slowly. "In a sense, yeah, but that's the point. That's what make the designs yours. Not designs that belong to someone else. When people see your designs, they think, 'Wow! That's what I want!' Why? Because they're yours. Something you designed that was truly unique to yourself. No one else could come up with that design! People aren't going to go out and buy clothes and think 'I'm buying this because it looks like Tomoyo's designs.' You want them to appreciate your own designs!"

Tomoyo nodded, slightly catching on. Though, half of her was still thinking, 'What the hell is he talking about?!' Eriol seemed to catch on to what she was thinking.

"Well, you'll get it someday. These things always happen to a designer. It's sort of like a mind block, y'know?"

"Uh huh..."

Eriol smiled, seeing Tomoyo's face half confused and half desperately trying to cling onto what he had said. He reached out squeezed Tomoyo's shoulder, reassuring her.

"It'll come."

Seeing his smile, Tomoyo couldn't help but smile back. The two decided that it was getting late and it was time to head home. They headed back to the parking lot. A woman walked past the two. She looked like she was heading into the park to meet someone. Tomoyo had stopped and her gaze followed the woman. The woman was wearing what looked like a sundress. For a sundress, it had an unusual pattern to it. The dress was short in the front but longer in the back with two tails. The straps were off shoulder and slightly puffy. The design of the fabric had tiny pink hearts with a background of a darker shade of pink. Tomoyo sighed and she smiled.

"That dress..." she muttered. Her eyes had gone soft again.

"Is really weird," Eriol finished. He had also stopped to observe. At this, Tomoyo's eye twitched. She turned slowly to face Eriol.

"Really...weird?" she repeated. Her eyes went stone cold. It was too late. Her other minds had seized control again.

Immediately, Eriol realized he had said the wrong thing.

"That really weird sundress, Eriol," Tomoyo said, emphasizing Eriol's name, "happens to be my design."

Eriol tried to laugh. "Oh...well...um..."

Another explosion for Tomoyo. She stomped off towards her car. As she made her way, she was screaming back at Eriol, who stood rooted on the spot. Lately, Tomoyo's anger was hard to contain.

"I'M SOOOOO GLAD YOU APPRECIATE MY DESIGNS!" she shouted, still glaring at Eriol but marching towards her car. "THAT DESIGN, FOR YOUR INFORMATION, MR. HIIRAGIZAWA, WAS MY–"

"Tomoyo–"

WHAM! went Tomoyo's head, off of a pair of windshield wipers of a blue SUV. Her one hand went to her head as she could feel another bump form.

"DAMMIT!!" she screamed. "I HATE THIS!!"

'Me too,' Eriol thought. He sweatdropped. 'I just got those wipers installed.'

welp, that's this chap. I hope you enjoyed! I updated two chaps at once so I hope you're happy! I know I am! that means I can take an even longer break!! cheers! as usual, review! d'you see that button down there? in the bottom left hand corner? clickit! keep me motivated or else I'll be sad! T.T –tears– many thanks to those who reviewed! you guys are great! til the next chap, ja ne!


	7. Carefree Spirit

1aaahhh!! I hate this! stupid compute here is automatically changing the spelling on some ov my words! like adding an extra 'n' to spinel! I hate –wham– this stupid –wham– laptop! –wham– and it won't let me save my chaps!! X.x –sigh– aiyi...welp, here's the new chap just for you guys! note: when tomoyo's arguing with herself, the whatchamacallem marks '' is tomoyo's mind. lines without them are just tomoyo being tomoyo when she's arguing. get it? no? oh, tha's kay. you'll see.

and I wanna give a short thanks to those who reviewed. I'd write a lil more to you but this chap's already long so wait til the next chap so I can reply to your comments, kay? –smilesmile– thanks, the reviews mean loads to me. It motivates me!!

disclaimer: if I owned CLAMP, Eriol and Tomoyo would've gotten together...oh well. oh yeah, the song is 1000 no Kotoba/ 1000 Words from FFX-2

CHAPTER SEVEN: Carefree Spirit

"And then he told me that the dress looked weird..." Tomoyo sighed. "I mean, that dress was one of my top sellers! I guess it kinda pissed me off...and I completely flipped out."

The day after the date, Sakura and Tomoyo were sitting in The Windy Café, eating lunch. Tomoyo had just got done describing the disastrous end of the date.

Sakura nodded her head knowledgeably. "Yeah, yeah...I know."

"You know what?" Tomoyo asked, suddenly suspicious. She set down her lemonade.

"Oh nothing!" Sakura cried. She waved her hands, trying to laugh. "Nothing at all!"

–Sakura Flashback–

"I forgot to buy flowers!"

"Oh no, it's okay! Really!"

"Quick!" Sakura hissed, as she heard Eriol's and Tomoyo's voice. She dragged Syaoran out of the bushes that they were hiding in. The two made it out right before Eriol and Tomoyo walked by. Sakura shoved Syaoran into another set of bushes and then jumped in herself.

"Ow!" Syaoran yelped. Sakura had landed on him. Sakura looked down and glared at him to be quiet. She peeked out of the bushes.

Eriol was in the process of cutting the daisy stem. Tomoyo was standing behind him with a bemused smile on her face. Sakura could tell she looked pleased.

"Why don't you ever do that for me?" Sakura whispered. "It's so romantic..."

"Seeesh. Didn't I plant that whole entire garden just for you? And that sakura tree too?" Syaoran replied. He rolled his eyes. "Women are so–"

Whatever Syaoran thought of women never came. The next he knew, there was some shouting and Sakura had pulled Syaoran up and out of the bushes again.

"But we're not teenagers!" Eriol's voice called back.

"You're definitely not adults either!" shouted a park keeper. He looked like he was out of breath.

Sakura ran as fast as she could with Syaoran lagging along. She leapt over the rose bushes and nearly crashed into the park keeper.

"More of you damn teenagers!!" the park keeper screeched. "I can't stand this!"

"We're with them!" Syaoran called, pointing towards the blur that was Eriol and Tomoyo.

At a distance, Sakura saw that Eriol and Tomoyo had stopped their running and had collapsed on a nearby bench. She crept towards another bush, threw Syaoran in, and followed. The two couples sat for quite some time, one watching the clueless other.

Finally, it was time to say goodbye. Syaoran had fallen asleep and Sakura was fighting a losing battle to stay awake. She'd had a long day, putting up with the fuming Tomoyo as it was. For the umpteenth time today, Sakura silently dragged Syaoran out and followed the couple to the parking lot.

The sleepy Syaoran was dragging Sakura down, but she arrived at the fateful moment.

"That dress..." Tomoyo breathed.

Sakura smiled. She was also quite fond of the sundress that Tomoyo was referring to.

"Is really weird," Eriol finished.

'Uh oh...' Sakura thought. She wasn't quite sure she wanted to witness the rest of this. She decided to block out Tomoyo's screaming. At this, Syaoran woke up with a start. And then–

WHAM!

"DAMMIT! I HATE THIS!!"

Sakura shook her head and decided to call it a day. She knew what to expect the next day...

–End Flashback–

"Sakura-chan?"

Sakura's flashback bubble popped as she was brought back to reality. Sakura tried to laugh again and picked up her iced tea.

"Nope...nothing wrong at all," Sakura mumbled.

"I feel really bad..." Tomoyo confessed. She took a moment to nibble her sandwich before she continued. "It's not really his fault. I just...something kicks in when someone says something bad about me or my designs. It's like automatic fire. It keeps coming."

"Then why don't you apologize?"

"I can't!"

This made Sakura raise her eyebrow. "Why not?"

"I...I..."

"You...?" Sakura encouraged her friend to go on.

Tomoyo set down her sandwich. She took the liberty in taking a long time to sip her lemonade. After she nearly sucked it dry, Tomoyo sat down her glass.

"I've apologized so many times," Tomoyo started. "It can only go to a certain extent, right? I mean, I'm cranky, then I'm nice. Then I'm cranky again and completely snap. Can I keep apologizing? Eventually Eriol's going to realize that he's going to be the victim, one way or another."

Sakura thought for a moment. She could see where Tomoyo was coming from. After a few minutes of silence, Sakura decided that her schemes would need to a wait for a bit.

"You're right, Tomoyo-chan. But Eriol's a reasonable guy."

"Didn't you only just meet him too?"

"Yeah, but he has that look, y'know?"

Clearly Tomoyo didn't, but Sakura didn't stop.

"Well, they say that three time's a charm!" Sakura said with a wink.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Tomoyo asked, now very confused.

"Listen, your blind date with him was your second meeting, right?"

"Technically, it WAS the third since I met him again at your and Syaoran's house and–"

Sakura cut Tomoyo off before she really made sense.

"It only counts as one! One per day, get it? So the next time you meet Eriol, it's gonna turn out great! You'll hit it off for sure!"

"Who said I wanted to meet him again?"

This caught Sakura off guard. She wasn't exactly sure what to say.

"And what are you thinking? Setting me up with him? I should've known that–"

"Ah! Gomen, Tomoyo-chan, but I must be going!" Sakura abruptly scooted back her chair. "I suggest you take a few days off to yourself, okay?"

"Now hold on just a sec–"

"I'll call you in a couple! Ja!"

And with that, Sakura briskly walked to her silver Passat. Before Tomoyo could throw down her napkin and stop her, the Passat drove away.

Tomoyo folded her arms and leaned back into her chair.

"Damn you, Sakura-chan," Tomoyo mumbled. "I'm stressed out enough as it is." She drank what was left of her lemonade and got up. She stretched out. "But she's right. I should take a couple of days to myself."

Sure enough, Tomoyo did take a couple days to herself. Or more like spending the time arguing with herself.

Damn that loser Eriol Hiiragizawa. Him and his stupid philosophy, Tomoyo thought one night.

'What d'you mean "that loser?"'

You again?!

'Thought you got rid of me, huh?'

I wish...

Tomoyo sighed. Once again, she was having a completely pointless conversation with herself. She felt like there were two of her. Tomoyo's mind was quite forceful, seemingly unlike the typical Tomoyo.

'You can't stop thinking of him, can you?'

There's no way in hell that I'm thinking about that loser! He just got his idiotic theory stuck in my head!

'Ooooooh! The one where he was lecturing you about you and your shitty designs?'

Nani?! How dare you! My designs are not shitty, thank you very much!

'Then why doesn't your mom like any of them?'

Tomoyo stopped to think.

'O ho. Got you there, didn't I?'

But I don't design them for my mom...

If Tomoyo's mind had a face, it would've smiled.

'I think you're starting to get it.'

Huh?

'Okay! Now let's talk about Eriol!'

I think I've really gone insane...having conversations with my mind...Tomoyo thought as she shook her head.

'The more the merrier, I say!'

Huh...? What does that have to do with–

'So what is this nonsense about not wanting to meet Eriol again?'

What about it?

'I know you want to meet him again. No point in denying it.'

How d'you know? And–

'Geez. I'm your mind, remember? Or did you forget that you had one?'

Oh shut up. And no. If seeing Eriol only means flipping out then I can't let it happen. It makes me pity him.

'Pity? Shouldn't you be pitying yourself?'

What the hell d'you mean by that?

'You, Tomoyo, are wallowing in self pity because you can't get any of your designs past your mother. You are taking out your anger on poor, innocent, not to mention good looking, Eriol. Now give it up and figure out what you really want. End of story.'

Tomoyo threw her arms up in frustration and stood up from her armchair. She made her way to her refrigerator to pull out some ice milk tea. "Dammit," she mumbled, gulping down her drink. "I don't know what I want. I'm just confused...is that Eriol meant? Something from the heart, huh?..."

For the rest of the week, Tomoyo continued to ponder on what Eriol had said. Somehow she couldn't let it leave her head. She ignored numerous phone calls and allowed her answering machine to do the work. Her mind seemed to decided to also to leave her alone, giving her time to herself. Time to keep thinking and wondering. She shut herself in her studio and designed. At the times when she wasn't designing, she sat on her stool and rest her head on her table. Tomoyo closed her eyes and searched deep in her heart. Was she missing anything? Why couldn't she figure it out? No matter how many time Tomoyo tried to not let it bother her, it would. It would nag at her. But she had the time, the time to keep thinking.

At the end of the week, Tomoyo awoke to a bright sunny morning. She tumbled out of bed and declared it a new day. She walked by her answering machine. The light was blinking red, signifying all the messages. Until now, Tomoyo hadn't bothered to listen or delete the messages. As her finger went to jab the button, she noticed the tiny screen read that she had 144 new messages. When the answering machine declared that there were 'no new messages,' Tomoyo went to make breakfast.

'This's a great day to go for a run,' Tomoyo thought as she looked out her kitchen window. Everything outside seemed to shine from the sunlight. Not bothering to wash her dishes, Tomoyo ran to her room and changed into some jogging gear. She threw on her grey sweatpants and a plain white tee-shirt. Tomoyo pulled back her long hair into a loose ponytail. Slipping on her tennis shoes and soon, Tomoyo was out the door.

Tomoyo ran the quarter mile from her condo to Clow Park. She wove in and out of the casual walkers of the park. She wasn't sure how long she had jogged, but time didn't exist for Tomoyo, at least, not now. When the path curved to run along the river, Tomoyo slowed down to a walk. Up ahead, she could see that a little boy had set up some kind of stand in his backyard.

'Lucky kid,' Tomoyo thought. 'He has a riverside house...' She stopped by to see that the boy had set up a lemonade stand.

"Hi there!" she said smiling. 'Wow...his eyes look just like Eriol's...oh you baka! Quit thinking about that loser!'

The boy smiled back. He couldn't have been more than 10. Indeed, his eyes resembled Eriol's azure eyes. "Hello," the boy chirped back. "It's warm out! Wanna buy some lemonade?"

Tomoyo smiled, her eyes crinkling. She replied, "Sure thing."

The boy whipped out a large plastic cup and poured ice cold lemonade into it.

"I'm giving you a big cup," the boy said as he handing Tomoyo her drink. "'Cause you're really pretty."

Even though this compliment was coming from a little boy not even half her age, Tomoyo blushed lightly and smiled again. She handed over a dollar for exchange of her drink. The boy dug into his pocket and returned two quarters. Tomoyo grinned and popped the two coins into the boys large but empty tip jar. She winked, thanked him, and went on her way.

'Damn, this stuff is good!' Tomoyo thought as she took her first sip.

Sipping on her delightfully cool drink, Tomoyo soon found herself in the middle of Spinel Sun Bridge. Of course, it was still early for a sun set, but the view of the river was beautiful. Tomoyo leaned on the rail and continued to look out. Most of her worries were gone, and she felt carefree. Tomoyo had already finished her drink, along with the ice. Even the smallest drop of liquid had already evaporated, since Tomoyo had stood there so long.

A distant sound of music reached Tomoyo's ears. It was clear that someone from a nearby riverside house was blasting music. Still, she smiled as she recognized the song. Before the voice accompanied the music, Tomoyo hopped onto the bench and set down her empty cup on the ground.

Then, she started to sing along.

Are those words of yours

just a kindness of a dream?

It even conceals

all the lies

It's unfair

Tomoyo closed her eyes and lifted her face towards the sun. Feeling the warm rays, she felt a happiness inside her swell, and she felt free, as if no one could keep her down. A carefree spirit, something that always came naturally. She hummed the next part of the song, letting the singer take care of it. Then she joined in again.

I couldn't say

those 1000 words

I'll send them to

your distant back

as wings

Those 1000 words

I couldn't say

will lean against your

injured back

and embrace you

Tomoyo sang the rest of the song and let her voice fade with the last word. She kept her eyes closed, trying to soak up that carefree moment she had just enjoyed...until a wave of applause woke her up.

"Eh?" Tomoyo's jaw had dropped.

A crowd of people had gather around Tomoyo's bench, apparently listening to her sing. What made things even crazier, was that Tomoyo's lemonade cup was overflowing with cash and change.

"Wha-wha-wha–" Tomoyo stuttered. The crowd started to disperse, all with cheerful smiles plastered on their faces. 'Oh no! They must've thought I was a street performer! Ahh! What's with all that money?!' Tomoyo quickly leapt off the bench and cried, "Wait! Hold on! I'm not a street performer! Don't go! Take your money back!"

But the people walked on. Some shook their heads with goofy smiles, as if the girl with a voice like an angel's had gone crazy. Tomoyo's shoulders slumped when the crowd disappeared. She then sighed and picked up the cup.

'Looks like I know what to do for a lifetime if I can't design anymore...' Tomoyo thought.

Soon afterwards...

The little boy looked up. He grinned as he saw Tomoyo walk towards his stand.

"Hey! Back for a refill?"

Tomoyo smiled and shook her head. She took her cup and upended the contents into the boys tip jar. With that, she headed home.

so so, how'd you like this chap? I know it's all bout tomoyo in this one but I really wanted a chap where we could see what tomoyo's really like. gomen, if it was long and boring. T.T I'm actually proud ov it. I really wanted to use Ai no Uta for tomoyo's singing deal. It's a beautiful song from the second inuyasha movie but it was taking me too long to translate. I really love 1000 no Kotoba too. It's so sad but beautiful too. chap 8 is on it's way! review review review!! you know I love and appreciate it tons!


	8. The Call of Her Voice

1okay!! I'm bac! in general, I wanna say thanks for staying with me in my fic. I know people complained bout tomoyo being ooc but it was all leading up to chap 7, which I couldn't wait to write! it was jammed up in my head for the longest time! I really hope you liked it. finally, time for my thanks:

AutumnIllusion: clow park's based on the park near my new home. it's by a river and everything! I've grown to really appreciate it –smilesmile– and remember the lemonade boy?......thanks for always reviewing!

C.A.M.E.O.: I hope you'll keep on liking this! thanks!

cherryblossomsakura2111: well...I hope you keep reading! still, thanks for reviewing!

Gipsychan: awww...I'm really glad that you think so. –smilesmile– thankies and keep reading!

linangel1992: I'm glad you love it! it brings tears ov joy!

Mei fa-chan: hey, I'm always hard at work here to update! thanks!

MoMo-ChAn1: thanks for your honest opinion. I'll try to work around that. and I know that tomoyo's short tempered, but remember that she's stressed out, kay? –grin–

Ukari-chan: you love it too? –sniffle– thanks mucho much!

okey dokey, things are insane. now they tell me I CAN upload with wordperfect?!! hmm...I'll try this italic deal again. aiya....welp, here's chap 8. hope you enjoy!

disclaimer: cardcaptors will always belong to CLAMP...dammit and that chunk ov a song is ffx-2's 1000 no Kotoba

CHAPTER EIGHT: The Call of Her Voice

"And I said that the dress looked weird, and apparently it was one that she had designed," Eriol explained. "And she completely freaked."

Syaoran nodded, as if he had been expecting this. Of course, he already knew all about it, seeing as Sakura forced him to go with her on their "spying excursion." It was the day after the date, and the two guys were once again hanging out in Syaoran's driveway where Eriol was attempting, yet again, to install a new pair of windshield wipers. He wasn't doing too well with that.

"I agree," Syaoran said absentmindedly.

"On what?" Eriol asked, looking up from the wipers. His azure eyes bore into Syaoran's chocolate ones. Syaoran tried to avoid his glare.

"Well, I know the dress you're talking about," Syaoran explained truthfully. "Sakura has the same one."

"But how did you know that I was talking about _that _particular one?"

'Oh shit...' Syaoran thought. He tried laughing. "Hey, a man's intuition, y'know?"

Eriol rolled his eyes and didn't pursue the subject. He thought it was supposed to be a _woman's _intuition but kept his mouth shut. The installation of the wipers was really getting on his nerves. Somehow, Syaoran didn't know when to stop. He continued talking.

"I mean, my first reaction when I saw Sakura wear that dress was 'Damn, that's a weird dress!' It's only natural that you would think the same. We _are _related, just so you know."

"Unfortunately..." Eriol muttered as he took another shot at attaching the wipers. Sweat made his glasses slip down his nose. Eriol pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose and tried to focus on his task. Syaoran wasn't letting him do that.

"And don't forget," continued Syaoran's blabbing mouth, "that Sakura and Tomoyo are really close. It must be some sort of weird 'girl thing' that gets them to support each other. So Sakura hurries off to buy some weird dress that Tomoyo designed and–"

"Syaoran! Onegai!" Eriol cried, finally hitting a nerve. "I'm trying to focus here! And _you _aren't helping!"

Syaoran held up his hands in defense. "Dude, calm down. Here, lemme see..." Before Eriol could protest, Syaoran snatched the wipers from him. Syaoran examined the fixtures for a moment and in less than a minute, he had the wipers installed.

Eriol stood with his jaw dropped. Syaoran turned around with a smug look on his face.

"All in a day's work, dear cousin, all in a day's work."

Rolling his eyes, Eriol muttered, "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Damn showoff."

With Eriol's new set of wipers set up, the guys took a break and sat outside on the driveway, each clutching a martini. As to why exactly they were drinking martinis on a driveway, Eriol wasn't exactly sure. According to Syaoran, they were 'celebrating' Syaoran's new found talent for wiper installation. But Eriol didn't object, seeing as Syaoran was quite skilled at mixing drinks.

"So what'd you think of Tomoyo?" Syaoran asked, swirling the contents of his drink. He was careful to watch Eriol's expression. Most of the time, they were a dead giveaway.

Eriol was in the middle of sipping his drink. He opened one eye and looked at Syaoran. Gulping down that sip, Eriol answered. "She seems nice."

As Syaoran waited for Eriol to go on, he downed the rest of his drink and set down the glass. A couple cars drove by and still Eriol didn't continue.

"And...?" Syaoran pressed. Three words didn't seem to be enough to describe a person like Tomoyo.

"What more d'you want?" Eriol inquired, also setting down his empty glass.

"Is that all? Don't you think you could say a little more on this matter?" Syaoran pressed, pushing his luck. It was a risk he'd have to take. Eriol was generally a nice guy but if the right buttons were hit, he could explode too.

All Eriol did was shrug. A short moment of silence passed and he decided to go on. "She's nice, but she's really stressed. I don't want her to burn out."

"What the hell d'you mean by that?!" demanded Syaoran.

"She's really stressed and if I keep acting like the catalyst to unleash her brewing anger, she'll eventually collapse from the weight of tension."

Syaoran ran his hand through his messy hair. "Listen, I'm just a simple guy. Can you translate that into easier terms?"

"It's simplified enough."

Silence...Syaoran seemed to really want to comprehend what Eriol had said, even though it _did _make sense and was entirely understandable. Finally, Syaoran slapped his hand against his thigh and declared, "I got it! Okay! So, what else?"

"What _else _d'you need?" Eriol felt exasperated.

"What about her looks?"

Pondering for a moment, Eriol said, "She's got really beautiful eyes. They make her look...mysterious."

"Y'know, I'm surprised that you actually had to think about it..." Syaoran remarked, his one eyebrow raised.

"I could easily say that she was beautiful, which is entirely true, but I wanted to pick out something specific."

"If you keep picking out specifics then we'll be here for days. Just give me the general," Syaoran said a little impatiently.

"Generally, she's beautiful overall and specifically, her voice is amazing. And when she laughs, it's contagious. I can't help but smile too."

"Aw, that's sweet, Eriol," Syaoran said, meaning it entirely too. He nudged Eriol with his elbow. "So...is it love? What's that saying? Love at third sight?" He also made a mental note to report back to Sakura on what Eriol had said.

"First sight," Eriol corrected. "Why the hell did you think it was 'third?' Who would say that?"

Laughing, Syaoran ran his hand through his hair again. "You can't say that the first time you two met was a big success!"

"I guess not..."

"Hmm? Did I just detect a note of disappointment, dear cousin?" Syaoran teased. He leaned into Eriol and jabbed him with his elbow. There wasn't an immediate answer. Syaoran smirked. "They say three time's a charm and looks like you almost had it!"

This didn't seem to encourage Eriol to talk. Syaoran went on. "But oh hell. I never liked the number three, let's shoot for four, 'kay?"

This sparked something in Eriol and Syaoran was again experiencing another x-ray vision glare from Eriol. These glares always made Syaoran queasy. He always felt like Eriol could get the truth out one way or another.

"Are you plotting something, Li?" Eriol asked. His eyes were narrowed in suspicion. Syaoran sweatdropped and didn't answer. Eriol never called Syaoran 'Li' unless he really was serious.

"No way, Hiiragizawa!" Syaoran replied. He placed emphasis on 'Hiiragizawa' in a joking way. Without saying another word, Syaoran stood up and collected the martini glasses in one hand. With the other, he patted Eriol's shoulder, in a friendly way. He made his way back towards the house. But, of course, being Syaoran, he just had to say more.

"Take some time off to yourself. It does a lot of good." And with that, Syaoran was gone.

Eriol also stood up. He smiled slightly and thought, 'You're right...thanks."

And Eriol did just that. Aside from work, he didn't really converse with many people. Syaoran finally seemed to come up with some cash to buy his lunch and wasn't barging into Eriol's office. Back in his condo, Eriol relaxed in his living room and thought. He couldn't seem to get Tomoyo out of his head, even if he tried to concentrate on other things.

Nearing the end of the week, Eriol caught himself thinking of Tomoyo, especially her eyes when she smiled or laughed. He was sipping his early morning black coffee and just staring at his shelves when she had popped into his mind.

"Aaargh!" he cried in frustration. "This is so stupid! I blew it anyway!" Eriol got up from his seat and stretched. 'Wow, I don't think it's ever been this nice for awhile.' Eriol's gaze was focused outside. The morning sun was shining. 'Maybe I'll go for a walk.'

Throwing on some casual slacks and taking one last sip of coffee and Eriol was out the door. He was taking his time, walking to Clow Park. At a nice pace and stroll, Eriol took the time to soak in the fresh air. A couple of young women had eyed him as he passed, but Eriol just gave them a small smile and nodded. They giggled and blushed.

No sooner had Eriol stepped foot onto a riverside path, he could hear a clear voice singing. There was accompaniment...it seemed to be music. His pace quickened, his tennis shoes lightly brushing the path.

"I'll return home"

your voice bypasses me

I was stubborn

and acted all tough

as I turn back time

Should I have called you?

What if I shed tears asking you not to go?

I can finally do

anything now

Now Eriol was at a quick jog, following the voice. It sounded familiar, but he couldn't quite place it. The voice he now heard was much more powerful. The voice kept singing. Unknowingly, now Eriol was at a full sprint, out running some bikers heading the same way. As he rounded the corner to Spinel Sun Bridge, it hit him. He didn't even see the singer first.

"Tomoyo..." he breathed.

He finally realized. This was Tomoyo's voice to her full extent. Eriol had always caught a melodious tone, no matter what her mood was. Her singing voice had gripped him, like she was calling to him. He couldn't resist it.

I couldn't say

those 1000 words

I'll send them to

your distant back

as wings

Eriol stood at the edge of the bridge, where he could see Tomoyo in the very center, standing on a bench. Her eyes were closed and her face was lifted towards the sun. A slight smile was also playing around her lips.

A chuckled escaped Eriol as he saw a crowd forming around Tomoyo, watching her sing. Tomoyo seemed to be lost in her own world. She never opened her eyes. Eriol was even more amused when people started throwing money into a cup that sat in front of the bench. He sat himself on the railing and watched. Thoughts never crossed his mind, not even about Tomoyo. He just let himself soak up the words and her voice. Eriol even closed his eyes and let the sun's rays warm his face. It was now clear to him what made Tomoyo so oblivious to her surroundings. The sound of the river was drained out and covered by the music. The warm feeling of the sun made Eriol feel carefree and light.

As the song ended and Tomoyo held out her last note, Eriol stood up and left. He continued down the path he originally step foot on. He decided to let Tomoyo have time to herself, as he was too, doing the same. Though Eriol was already no where near Spinel Sun bridge, he could also hear some distant clapping, no doubt for Tomoyo.

He closed his eyes again but continued walking. Somehow, deep inside, he felt like he was guided along the path.

'I feel like I've got nothing to worry about,' Eriol thought. 'It's such a strange feeling though, like there's something more to it...I don't understand.' Nonetheless, Eriol smiled at the thought and continued to walk blindly down the path. 'It's like I could soar away, feeling so light. Like I could touch the sky or something.'

Some curious people stopped to watch Eriol walk by. To their surprise, he walked as well as he would have with his eyes open.

'Each step...is like I'm closer to the sky...each step I feel lighter...carefree...and–'

"Um, Mister?"

Eriol's eyes snapped open. He was slightly blinded by the sun's light. Then he looked to the speaker. His eyes met an identical pair, belonging to a little boy. Strangely, the boy seemed extremely small to Eriol.

"Oh hello."

"D'you mind getting off my stand, please?" the boy asked. "You're scaring away the customers."

"Eh?"

Eriol looked around. He wasn't really sure how, but he found himself standing on the little boy's lemonade stand. Even a couple of people had stopped to see if the handsome man was about to entertain or something of the sort. His cheeks flushed and effortlessly leapt off the stand. Eriol muttered an apology to the little boy. Eriol made his way home, with his hands jammed in his pockets. He was whistling a tune that sounded undoubtedly like a beautiful song that was sung earlier by a certain someone.

I hope this chap wasn't boring!! –worryworry– it was meant to hint at eriol's feelings. it kinda goes along with chap 7, but you prolly caught on. as always, review review review!! –grin– and send suggestions if you want! wait for me as I work on finishing up chap 9! (I have no idea why I'm updating so fast, but that's good for you guys, right? –smilesmile– it might be since living hell's approaching...aka school. –sigh–)


	9. Rival Customers

1oh, thanks to those who reviewed. T.T –tears ov joy and sniffle– it makes me feel so motivated! and to update as soon as possible! that's my way ov saying 'thankies mucho much!'

disclaimer: I, ji, solemnly swear that I do not own cardcaptors, unfortunately, to my greatest regret –sigh– that is because, it's owned by CLAMP –sigh again–

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

CHAPTER NINE: Rival Customers

BBRING BBRING!

"Aughhhhh..." moaned Tomoyo. She grabbed her pillow and jammed it over her head, muffling out the ring tone of her phone.

BBRING!

Tomoyo chose to ignore the phone. Her answering machine would get it.

'Hi! It's Tomoyo! I can't pick up the phone right now but leave me a message, 'kay? Ja ne!' BEEP! went the answering machine in the hallway.

"Tomoyo-chan!" called a voice through the speaker. "Pick up the goddamn phone!" Clearly it was Sakura. "I know you're home, you sleepy head! I haven't seen you for over a week!" Sakura's voice stopped, as if she were waiting for Tomoyo to pick up. Tomoyo groaned again and pressed her pillow against her ears even harder. "Okay, whatever," continued Sakura. "I better hear from you soon or else I'm stopping by!"

"It's not like you haven't gone any longer without seeing me..." Tomoyo grumbled. She tried hard to fall back asleep. She tossed and turned for a bit but it was hopeless. She was awake and that was that. Tomoyo rolled out of bed and rubbed her eyes. It was a cloudy day, unusual for the summer season. 'I don't like the look of this...' Tomoyo thought, pushing back her curtains. She gazed outside. Then she shook her head and covered her face with her hand. She had the weirdest dream last night...

Tomoyo was running barefoot through a field of daisies. No one was chasing her, but Tomoyo kept running. She reached a staircase made of water, that which she climbed up. As she climbed higher and higher, the sky got darker with every step Tomoyo took. By the time Tomoyo stepped off the staircase, the sky was black. The sky was sprinkled with a generous amount of stars. The moon was also shining bright, but it had the most unusual shape; it was shaped like the sun, and all the rays, or spikes, were all different lengths. They seemed shorter at the top and as the spikes went around "the moon," they got longer, especially two that jutted out. When Tomoyo looked down, she saw that she was standing on a floor of game controllers. She took another step, expecting the floor to be bumpy and uneven, but surprisingly, it wasn't. It was as if she were standing on a polished, hard wood floor. Tomoyo looked up and saw a man approach her. His face was veiled by the darkness and Tomoyo never saw his face. His outfit wasn't very formal. In fact, the man wore plain jeans. Nonetheless, he whisked Tomoyo away and the two were dancing all over the place.

Tomoyo sighed and rubbed her eyes. It was undoubtedly the weirdest dream she had had in a long time. Pushing that aside, Tomoyo trudged to her studio without even bothering with breakfast or washing her face.

Yesterday, Tomoyo had an unexpected performance for all the park goers. Despite her slight embarrassment, Tomoyo felt extremely light. It was as if she had let go of all her stress through her singing. Of course, that stress still lingered deep inside, but it was forgotten during the rest of Tomoyo's day yesterday. After dumping all her "earnings" into the lemonade boy's tip jar, she headed home with a sudden desire to design. She hadn't felt that desire to draw in quite some time.

–Flashback–

'Whoa! What's with your attitude?' inquired Tomoyo's mind as Tomoyo plopped onto her stool and emptied all the markers out of her box onto her table. This particular box held all the different shades of purple markers anyone could ever own.

Oh hello! I got a sudden inspiration! Tomoyo answered. She grabbed her sheets of drawing paper and hastily dropped it onto the table. She uncapped one of her fine-tipped pens with her teeth and attacked the paper.

''Oh hello?' I can't help noticing that you've added a little _happy _tone to your voice?'

I don't know if I figured it out or what, but I think I can actually design something!

'Hmmm? I thought you were always designing?'

No, no. I mean _design_. Y'know, _design _design.

'Ummm...'

Tomoyo threw down her pen, cap still in clenched between her teeth, and snatched a lilac marker.

'So...I'm guessing that you've deciphered what Eriol said? Man, is he hot or what!'

What the hell...? My mind's completely fallen in love with this guy. Besides, I don't know...I just feel like something was bunched up inside of me for a long time and at this moment, I need to get it out!

'I it possibly be something from the heart? Hmmm?'

Tomoyo paused as she grabbed another purple shaded marker.

I dunno...but I feel like it belongs to me. It's a part of me that I've taken out and put onto a piece paper...

'Wow, that was deep, but if you don't mind me saying, it sounded a little gross. Y'mean like taking out your liver and slabbing it onto that paper?'

Oh shut up. You know what I mean.

Tomoyo's mind stayed silent as Tomoyo concentrated on the piece of art that was forming on her paper.

–End Flashback–

A couple of very long hours of work sat on Tomoyo's desk. Tomoyo picked up the sheet of thick sketch paper and gazed at the art on it. She smiled. She pulled up her stool and rolled over her tower of drawers. Tomoyo opened a couple and chose some more colors. Setting aside her "masterpiece," Tomoyo pulled out a fresh sheet of paper to design something new.

A few hours later...

Tomoyo threw down her pen. A small stack of creations sat in front of her. But Tomoyo hadn't experienced the same desire she had the night before to design. Yesterday, she felt like if she hadn't finished, she couldn't sleep or do anything else. It was like her hyper drive kicked in. Nonetheless, Tomoyo felt satisfied with her new ideas.

To make up for her morning, Tomoyo made herself some brunch. While munching on her food, she decided to try and confront her mother. She assured herself that her new designs were sure to match up with her "usual style."

After throwing on a casual pair of khakis and lavender polo, Tomoyo slipped on her backless tennis shoes and put her sketches into a large folder. She climbed into her Jetta and drove off at another attempt to meet her mother's newly, high standards.

Tomoyo pulled into a parking spot along the sidewalk in front of _Midnight Star_. When Tomoyo stepped out of her car, clutching her folder under her arm, she took a deep breath. Before taking a step forward, Tomoyo swept back her hair. Then, she advanced towards the entrance.

When Tomoyo step foot into the store, she didn't see her mother. Tomoyo took a moment to calm herself down.

'Okay Tomoyo. Be forceful, don't let her talk over you. Get your point across,' Tomoyo thought to herself. 'Oh, a dramatic exit would be nice...'

She closed her eyes and took another deep breath.

"Tomoyo-chan?"

Tomoyo opened her eyes and saw that her mother had emerged from the back of the store.

"Mom, to be quite honest, I just wanted to let you know that I worked my ass off for these specific designs."

"Now Tomoyo-chan–"

Tomoyo held up her hand to silence her mother. She continued as she had planned. "Don't say it. I know what you're thinking. You haven't been using my designs lately, but I think that you should look at these." She handed her folder to her mother. "Well, I must be going, Mom. Ja!"

And with that, Tomoyo walked out the door. She calmly made her way to her car and climbed in. Tomoyo made sure to keep her eyes straight ahead and keep a straight face. When she hit a red light, her lip started to tremble. Then–

"AHAHAHAHA!" Tomoyo cried out. "Victory's mine all the way!" One fist punched the air and Tomoyo couldn't stop smiling. "I sure showed her!"

The light turned green and Tomoyo zoomed away.

"This calls for a celebration!" Tomoyo told herself. "Time to splurge!!" She turned into _Kero's Electronics_ and parked in front of the store. She practically skipped out of her car up to the store front.

After answering a cheerful "Hello!" to the employee at the cash register, Tomoyo directly headed to the back wall of the store. When she reached her destination and saw what she wanted, Tomoyo gave a sigh of pleasure. Tomoyo crouched down so she was practically eye level with the lower shelf. There it was, sitting in a colorful box: video editing equipment.

Tears of joy were flowing down Tomoyo's cheeks. Her glistening eyes stared at her treasure. 'Finally, I can buy this without feeling guilty!' she thought. 'And it's on sale too! Only 144 bucks! Ah...maybe a little pricey but this's my time! Urm...it's been awhile since I've actually recorded anything on tape, but this's something I really want! Oh what the hell! You only live once!' Still, Tomoyo crouched there, staring like a child outside at a pet shop window. A couple minutes went by as Tomoyo savored her victory and 'soon-to-be' belonging. As soon as she finally came to her senses, Tomoyo started to reach out to pick up the box when–

"Eh?!"

The video editing equipment wasn't there anymore. And apparently, it was the last one, seeing as there weren't any extras behind it.

Tomoyo turned her head, eye twitching. She then saw a sales associate holding it, carrying it back to the register. Her hand extended out, as if she could stop him, but it was hopeless. The employee was already ringing it up for some man. Tomoyo's lip trembled again and tears started to form, and this time, they weren't for joy.

'I waited so long...and it gets taken away from me...'

"That'll be 144, sir. On your card?"

"Sure thing!"

Suddenly, Tomoyo's eyes narrowed. There was something oddly familiar about this man. Tomoyo couldn't completely make it out, seeing as her eyes were blurry. But the tone of his voice, the way he spoke, the color of his eyes behind a oval-shaped pair of glasses, and the way he made Tomoyo's heart beat faster...wait, what?! Tomoyo slowly got up from her crouch and faced the entrance. Her fists were shaking at her sides.

"Here you go! Have a good day, sir!"

Before the customer could reply, Tomoyo uttered, "Hiiragizawa..."

Eriol turned around. He could've sworn he heard his last name. And–

"Oh! Tomoyo! How are–"Eriol stopped. 'Oh shit...' he thought, seeing Tomoyo's face. Her cheeks were flushed and tears were streaming down her cheeks. Her whole entire body was trembling. Eriol wasn't really sure if it he had to do with any of this but was quite sure that he was innocent.

"Eriol Hiiragizawa..." Tomoyo said a strangely calm voice, despite her looks. She started a slow stride towards Eriol. Eriol got the sudden impulse to want to run away, but Tomoyo's eyes were locked onto his. Was it just him or were those flames in her eyes?

Tomoyo stopped when there was less than a foot between the two. Her lavender eyes glared into Eriol's azure ones. Eriol wasn't too sure if he wanted to be so close if Tomoyo was going to explode, but at the same time, he didn't seem to mind.

"Listen, Tomoyo–"

"Eriol...I want you to understand that I have waited so long to buy that item you have just purchased."

"I–"

As Tomoyo continued to talk, the tears started to flow more fiercely. Her voice continued strongly, though. "I've always wanted to buy that video editing equipment...and this day, was the day for me. I could do it without guilt..."

Eriol wanted to say something but was speechless. Even more so when Tomoyo flung herself at him, completely breaking down.

"I finally won and–hic–and–hic–I showed–hic–her–sniff–" Tomoyo sobbed. Her hands clutched Eriol's shirt as her tears stained it.

"Tomoyo, calm down!" Eriol said, trying to comprehend Tomoyo's sobbing. What he really wanted to do was wrap his arms around her and try to comfort her. 'Comfort her, you baka!' he told himself, but instead, he gingerly patted Tomoyo's head.

The employee and a few customers were watching with interest.

Still hiccuping, Tomoyo looked up at Eriol. Through his confusion, he was amazed to see that Tomoyo's eyes weren't blotchy or red. It looked as if she hadn't been crying at all, despite the fact that tears were still dripping from her eyes.

"Eriol..." she muttered, looking as if she were ready to break down again.

"Nani?!" he answered urgently. "What is it?!"

In reply, Eriol got a single hiccup and Tomoyo's fluttered. And–

SHLUMP! Tomoyo fell to the floor. Eriol dropped to his knees.

"Oh man! Tomoyo! Tomoyo, you okay?!" He grabbed her shoulders.

"Should I call the ambulance?" the employee asked nervously.

"Tomoyo!!" Eriol was about to shake Tomoyo when he heard something. It sounded like a soft snore.

Everyone in the store sweatdropped. Clearly, Tomoyo was sleeping, and looking quite comfortable on the floor. Eriol chuckled and his eyes softened. He gently scooped up Tomoyo and gratefully accepted his bag that the employee handed over. Eriol pressed his back against the door, opening it. With a swift turn, he stepped outside. Eriol could also see the customers inside staring at the two. He nodded his head and thought for a moment.

He saw Tomoyo's Jetta right in front of him but wasn't too keen on waking Tomoyo. She seemed deep in sleep. Eriol studied her face. She looked so peaceful, resembling her face when she was singing. Chuckling again, Eriol couldn't believe that seconds before, Tomoyo had been sobbing her heart out.

Finally, Eriol decided that he would take Tomoyo over Sakura and Syaoran's. He had no idea where Tomoyo lived and Sakura seemed to be the best choice. Besides, it seemed safe to leave Tomoyo's car for a little bit. He walked down to his SUV and after some difficulty and adjusting, Eriol was able to get the passenger door open and lift Tomoyo in. He placed his bag in the back and climbed in himself.

Pulling out of the parking lot, Eriol wondered about Tomoyo's situation. He really couldn't understand what Tomoyo was saying, or rather sobbing. And she won? Eriol shook his head. It looked like explanations would come later.

Minutes later, Eriol carried Tomoyo up to Sakura's doorstep. As far as Eriol could see, there wasn't a doorbell so he "knocked" on the door with his foot.

"I'm coming! I'm coming!" called a voice from inside. The door flew open. Sakura's face split into a grin and then faded. "Eriol...what the hell...?"

"Long story. D'you mind, Sakura?"

Sakura stood back and closed the door after Eriol, pelting him with questions on the way to the living room. Eriol lay the sleeping Tomoyo on the couch and looked down at her.

"You're blushing, Eriol."

Eriol spun around to look at Sakura. She was leaning against the wall with her arms folded. Eriol couldn't help thinking that the smug smile on her face reminded him of Syaoran.

"C'mon, you can spill the details," Sakura said eagerly, dragging Eriol off to the kitchen. "I'll make you some coffee."

Over some freshly brewed coffee, black for Eriol, he told his story to Sakura.

"And after accusing me for buying the video editing equipment, I thought she was going to burst!" Eriol paused to sip his coffee. "But then she completely broke down..."

"Awww. That poor thing. She's been wanting that thing for the longest time. Couldn't bring herself to buy it though. I wonder why she wanted to all of a sudden...?"

Eriol thought for a moment. "Yeah...I was a little confused on that. I didn't understand anything that she said during her break down."

Sakura eyed Eriol over the rim of her cup. She had a mischievous glint in her eye. Setting down her cup and refilling it, she said, "Why don't you give the editing junk to Tomoyo, huh? I'm sure she'll really like it."

"That's the thing," Eriol said. "I didn't buy it."

"Eh?"

"See, that's what I was confused about. I was buying a gift for my friend Nakuru–"

"Nakuru? Who's that?" Sakura asked with a hint of suspicion.

"Oh. She's a really close friend of mine. Like my older sister," Eriol explained. "It's her birthday in a couple of days."

"Oooh. Okay. Man, you spent 144 on this girl?"

Eriol chuckled and ran his hand through his hair. This made Sakura think, 'Wow...he's like Syaoran. They're _definitely _related!'

"Ah, to be honest, I haven't really sent her anything for the past couple years...so...kinda making up for it. She always wanted one of those really thin stereos..."

After a few more minutes of chatting, Eriol said that he should be going. Sakura walked him to the door.

"Oh yeah. I left Tomoyo's car at the store..."

"That's alright. I'll go pick it up."

"D'you want a lift over?" Eriol asked, pointing towards his car.

Sakura smiled and shook her head. "Thanks, but that's okay. I"ll get Syaoran to take me over."

Eriol returned her smile and said, "Well, I'll be going. Thanks!"

As Eriol turned around to leave, he thought, 'So much for a _man's _intuition...Good one, Syaoran.' At the same time, Sakura thought with rolling her eyes, 'Yeah, 'three time's a charm' my ass! Damn the bastard who ever said that!'

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did you like this chap? –smilesmile– if you couldn't tell from my crappy description, that "moon" up in tomoyo's dream is supposed to be eriol/clow reed's staff. –shrug– so! review cuz ji loves to hear what you liked! and suggestions if you have any! til the next chap–ja!


	10. Memorable Wrapping Paper

1disclaimer: how many time do I hafta say it?!! no fair! okay okay –deep breath– CLAMP owns cardcaptors...waaaaaahhh!!! T.T

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CHAPTER TEN: Memorable Wrapping Paper

It was two days after Tomoyo's victory and crushing defeat, all in the same day, thanks to Eriol. In these two days, Tomoyo had shut herself in her home. She let the answering machine do most of the work by answering her calls. Not that it mattered; Tomoyo never listened to the messages.

Though she still wasn't too clear on this, Tomoyo had found herself in Sakura's house. She had been quite sure that she was in _Kero's Electronics_. And she was quite sure that that loser of a man, Eriol Hirragizawa, had brought her down from her victory. Tomoyo was so confused that after thanking Sakura for letting her stay, Tomoyo left before Sakura could say anything. Strangely, she found that her car keys were in her purse. Tomoyo always kept them in her pocket.

So, Tomoyo was holed up in her condo, feeling grumpy. She decided that after Eriol had bought the video equipment, he left and so did she. At the moment, Tomoyo was sprawled all over her oversized armchair in her studio. She had covered her eyes with her arm and was just lost in thought.

'Dammit...I was so happy. Damn that stupid loser. But I guess I can't blame him for buying something I wanted. Not his fault. Unless he did it intentionally...does he have something against me? I never did anything to him...Oh damn. I did. I keep exploding on him. Is this his sick idea of revenge?'

Tomoyo was so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn't notice the knocking on her door. She chose to ignore it, but it didn't stop. This could only mean one of two things: either her mother or Sakura.

Groaning and dragging herself off her chair, Tomoyo took her time getting to the door. But the knocking wouldn't stop and finally she shouted, "I'M COMING, DAMMIT! SO STOP!"

The knocking didn't stop. Tomoyo decided that it was Sakura; she was right.

"What's up, Sakura-chan?" Tomoyo asked in a calm voice.

Sakura responded by inviting herself in. Tomoyo noticed that Sakura was carrying a shopping bag. Rolling her eyes and shutting the door, Tomoyo followed Sakura into the living room. Then she couldn't help noticing that Sakura also looked very excited.

Sakura plopped herself down on Tomoyo's couch and Tomoyo sat across from her in an armchair.

"What's in the bag?" Tomoyo was genuinely interested. Her lavender eyes were eyeing it curiously.

"Ah...well, y'see, Eriol dropped by–"

"Eriol?" Tomoyo's nose wrinkled. Aside from that, this piqued her interest.

"Yeah," Sakura continued as if she hadn't noticed Tomoyo's expression. "He told me to give this to you. He would've come to give it to you himself, but he didn't know where you lived and he had to go do some research for work."

"Oh."

A smug smirk spread across Sakura's face. She wasn't too sure, but she thought she heard a tint of disappointment. She continued. "Yeah, but you can't open it right now. I wanna talk to you."

Tomoyo pouted, clearly wanting to open the package. Finally, she said, "Okay, shoot."

Sakura leaned forward like she was about to share a secret. "You're not gonna believe it."

"I'll try," Tomoyo replied, smiling.

"Tomoyo-chan! Don't distract me!" Sakura swept back her auburn hair. "I got reservations to _Ruby Moon's Chance_."

"NANIIIIIII?!"

_Ruby Moon's Chance _was an extremely popular restaurant in town. Technically, it was a café, but the place got so popular that it got so hard to even order a quick drink. It started out when someone came to their senses and called to place a reservation and it went downhill from there. Even getting a reservation in was a hard task. Then someone started dressing up and it spread through town that _Ruby Moon's_ had converted to a high class restaurant. So, everyone started dressing up too. The owner didn't object, in fact, she was excited with the changes. As it turned out, _Ruby Moon's_ was a popular café (no reservation required but hard to place an order) by day, and by night, it was an even more popular, classy restaurant.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!!" Tomoyo shrieked, her hands clutching her head.

Sakura laughed and said, "I knew you wouldn't!"

Tomoyo leapt up and hugged her friend.

"I can't believe you!" Tomoyo went on. She leapt all around the room, making Sakura laugh. "How'd you do it?"

"Just got lucky." Sakura shrugged. "Besides, I know you've been stressed out every now and then. This can be our time to cool off."

"Awww...thanks a ton, Sakura-chan."

"Anything for my best friend and cousin." Sakura smiled and stood up. "I gotta go. Our reservation's on for tomorrow night. I'll call you tomorrow in the afternoon."

Tomoyo was in such a daze that she didn't notice Sakura letting herself out. When Tomoyo came back to reality, she remembered Eriol's package. She took the shopping bag and placed it on the coffee table. Tomoyo stared at it for a moment.

'Wonder what it is...can't be a bomb, can it?' Tomoyo chuckled and reached into the bag. She pulled out a wrapped box. Tomoyo couldn't help noticing how nice it was wrapped and really appreciated the wrapping paper; it was black with navy blue crescent moons and stars. Attached was a note:

Tomoyo–

I hope this cheers you up!

You should always be smiling! I'll always be there

for you if you need to release your anger!!

Are you smiling now?

–Eriol

Indeed, it brought a smile to Tomoyo's face, reading the note alone. Even more curious, Tomoyo set the note down and carefully unwrapped the package. Tomoyo made mental note to find out where the wrapping paper was from. When the paper was off, Tomoyo clasped her hand to her mouth, only letting a gasp escape.

"Eriol..." she muttered. She thought she could feel tears start to form. Sitting on her lap was a box. A box containing video editing equipment.

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ah, gomen. it's shorter than usual. I'm a lil burned out so I stopped it there. but that means there's more to come! –grin– I can't let this chap have all the fun! as always, review! and suggestions if you have any. thanks to those who review as always! you make me feel special! see you in the next chap! . oh yeah, note to Gipsychan: yep, I know fruits basket but I've never read it. hmm...I guess I should huh? –grin– thankies!!


	11. A Daughter's Mother

1disclaimer: cardcaptors belong to CLAMP. end ov story (mmm...I hate saying this at the beginning every time. so, this's the last time you'll see it. I mean, it _is_ clear that I don't cardcaptors, right? d'you think they'd sell it to me? . )

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CHAPTER ELEVEN: A Daughter's Mother

Tomoyo sat staring at the box. Video editing equipment was the last thing she had expected from Eriol. Hadn't he bought it for himself or something? She was so shocked that she hadn't noticed the knocking at the door.

KNOCK KNOCK!

Still, Tomoyo sat, totally oblivious to the sound. Her hand was still clamped against her jaw-dropped mouth. It was as if time was frozen...but even with time at a halt, that doesn't mean sound ceased too, right? In this case, that was true.

KNOCK KNOCK! KNOCK KNOCK!

Snapping back to reality and feeling slightly annoyed, Tomoyo briskly stood up, slamming the box onto the couch. She shouted, "Dammit, Sakura-chan! Quit it! I know you just wanna know what Eriol gave me! I would've called you, y'know!" Tomoyo strode to the door and wrenched it open saying, "Try to be patient for–"

Standing at her doorstep was a poor delivery man, who was looking a little apprehensive. He was clutching a thin, rectangular package. Tomoyo couldn't help noticing that the hand holding a clipboard was shaking.

"Ah...um...gomen..." Tomoyo mumbled, trying to laugh at the same time, as if it were all a joke.

However, the delivery man didn't seem to want to share her laughter because he continued to eye her nervously.

"Y-Your p-p-p-package," the man stuttered. He handed Tomoyo the package and then the clipboard. "S-Sign on the 'x' at the b-b-bottom..."

Tomoyo signed her loopy signature and handed back the clipboard, apologizing again. The man quickly took back the clipboard and hurried back to his truck. Tomoyo sighed and closed the door, feeling sorry for being so easily irritated. But now, she had a new thing to revive her interest. Mentally, she apologized again and hoped that she had redeemed herself from being sent to hell. Not that it really mattered given all her outbursts on Eriol...Tomoyo headed back over to her living room.

The slender package sat on Tomoyo's coffee table as she once again sat on her chair, staring at it. Half of Tomoyo wanted to immediately open the box, but the other half of her always observed first, as if she were a detective, looking for clues.

'Oh what the hell,' Tomoyo thought when nothing came to mind. She couldn't think of anyone who would send her a rectangular package. In fact, she rarely received packages at all! Tomoyo carefully ripped off the tape that lined the edges and lifted the top open.

It seemed to be a gift because on the top, it was layered with white tissue paper with dashes of purple sparkles. Tomoyo made another mental note to find out where the tissue paper came from. Tomoyo was the kind of person who appreciated every part of a gift. She peeled the paper apart, as if she were opening a book. What was inside made Tomoyo react exactly the way she had with Eriol's gift.

It was there, folded neatly. Tomoyo's dress. _Her_ dress. The dress where she poured her heart and soul. The dress where she stayed up late, just to finish. The dress that drained out all the ink from her purple shaded markers. The dress that could be found no where else except in Tomoyo's heart. It was hers. And it was real.

This time, tears flowed uncontrollably out of Tomoyo's eyes. She couldn't hold it in, from all the surprises in one day. She lifted the dress out of it's box and hugged it to her chest without looking at it. She wanted to scream, right there in her condo, a huge thanks to her mother and Eriol. Sakura too, for scoring it big in reservations. Things couldn't have been any better on this day.

Then Tomoyo noticed that some papers had fallen out. They were apparently folded in with the dress. Tomoyo gently set down the dress and bent over the pick up the papers. Maybe a note from her mother? As Tomoyo picked up the papers, she felt like a huge weight had just hit her head with a 'THUNK!'

The papers happen to be the other designs Tomoyo had made before dropping them off with her mother. Tomoyo tossed the sketches onto the coffee table. They fluttered like leaves until they made contact with solid grounding. Tomoyo was thinking, 'Dammit, _mother_...what do I have to do to make you satisfied with my designs?!' But on the outside, Tomoyo was wearing a tired smile. Her eyes gazed at the dress draped over the armchair. Clearly, her mother had also put her heart and soul into making the dress real.

One last tear fell from Tomoyo's cheek. The sunlight caught it, making it sparkle. She closed her eyes and murmured, "Thanks, Mom."

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did you like this chap? –smilesmile– I hope so!! I know it's really short, compared to what I normally do but I felt like this chap had to be separate from what's to come. kinda like a mother-daughter moment, y'know? you could say that I shoulda put this one with chap 10, but –puppy eyes– I just had to –sniffle– keep it separate –sniff– don't be mad...–grin– don't worry, the next chap'll be back to average length. and you'll find out what _the _dress looks like. (given that I can make a good description ov it... . ;;) thanks, as always, to those wonderful people who reviewed! okay. you know what to do. review!! and suggestions if any. til the next episode (oh, maybe chap is more like it) ja ne!


	12. The Dress in Public

1aiya...I had this one done but I had to put some finishing touches on it. so here you are! my thanks to lovey-teti: your review was so nice! thanks so much for thinking so!! T.T tears ov joy here's chap 12!

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CHAPTER TWELVE: The Dress in Public

The day had arrived. The day where Tomoyo would actually step foot into _Ruby Moon's Chance_. She wouldn't have to wait fruitlessly outside in a block-long line to just order a pastry when she knew she'd never make it in anyway. Even better, Tomoyo was going for dinner, something many dreamed of. It was going to be Tomoyo and Sakura, no one else. Just those two for a relaxing "girl's night out." This, for one, was truly a day to remember.

As Sakura promised, she called in the afternoon. Tomoyo was told that Syaoran would pick her up so she wouldn't have to drive. According to Sakura, the two could hang at in the town and Sakura would take her home. Tomoyo wasn't really keen on the idea. She didn't want to trouble Syaoran, who no doubt had plans of his own. After all, Tomoyo _could_ drive, but Sakura insisted. ("I mean, gas prices being this high and all!")

After a whole day of anticipation, Tomoyo finally got to dress up and get ready. According to her clock, she had twenty minutes before Syaoran came to pick her up. Tomoyo only needed less than ten minutes but nonetheless, she trekked up to her room. First, she got a quick shower and then got ready. She'd been saving her dress for today to try on.

Tomoyo wrenched open her closet door. Walking into her walk-in closet, she reached up to pull her package down from the shelf. Trying not to be hasty, Tomoyo closed the closet door and set the box down onto her bed. Her trembling hands lifted off the lid. Even though Tomoyo already saw her dress, every time she actually laid eyes on it, she was filled with excitement. She carefully took out the dress and held it out, taking the sight of it in. Tomoyo giggled and hugged it to her chest. Then she twirled around her room, as if she were dancing with it. After twirling around and getting herself dizzy, Tomoyo collapsed onto her bed, laughing out loud. She wasn't sure why she was dancing around her room with a dress, but it made her feel carefree. A similar feeling that she had experienced three days ago.

Chuckling, Tomoyo got up and got dressed. Looking at herself in her full-length mirror, Tomoyo definitely felt satisfied. The dress contained every shade of purple possible (so to speak). The lightest shade started at the top and faded into the darkest purple without being black at the bottom. The straps were made of strings of tiny glass beads, also a light purple color, matching the upper colors of the dress. Some strands fell off the shoulders slightly. The bottom, where the purple was darkest, was artfully ripped at different lengths, the longest strip barely brushing the floor. As the purple got darker, there were more scattered silver beads. Tomoyo saw this as a representation as the night sky. The beads were scattered evenly over the darkening purple sky. Towards the ends of the ripped dress, among the beads, were tiny beads shaped like stars. This was Tomoyo's favorite part of the dress. And that was it. A simple yet elegant dress.

She twirled in front of the mirror, the ends of her dress flaring up. Tomoyo smiled at her reflection. In her opinion, it looked more than beautiful, not that she was being conceited or anything. After all, she _did_ design it for herself, like Eriol had said to. Speaking of Eriol...

'I feel like I want Eriol to see this, before anyone else,' Tomoyo thought to herself, still standing in front of the mirror. 'It's weird, but he's the one that inspired me...him and his stupid philosophy.' Tomoyo smiled at this thought. 'I really need to thank him. Maybe I can get his number from Syaoran...'

Turning away from the mirror, Tomoyo went to finish prepping up. It really didn't consist of anything too dramatic. She dug through her closet to find a pair of simple heels to match. Honestly, she thought she could've gone barefoot for all she cared but decided not to be too ridiculous. As for her hair, she let it hang loose in it's most natural form; straight with slight curls near the end. Her face was basically makeup free, save for some lip gloss, which hardly passed for makeup, but it was enough.

Enduring the wait for Syaoran, Tomoyo sat in her living room catching up on her rounds of Soul Calibur.

'Heh heh...' she thought. 'I'm getting some new moves in here...looks like I'll have to challenge Eriol this time. _Next_ time I can kick his ass! _My _elbow blades in his face! Woohoo!'

In fact, Tomoyo was so caught up the game that she barely noticed the knocking at the door. It wasn't until she heard, "Oy! Tomoyo! You in there?!"

"Eep!" Tomoyo quickly shut off her gaming console and shouted back, "Gomen, Syaoran! I'm coming!" She snatched her purse off the coffee table and opened the door.

"Oh, wow, Tomoyo!" Syaoran said, clearly very surprised. "I gotta admit, you look beautiful! Almost as beautiful as Sakura!"

"Oh, thanks a ton," Tomoyo answered in a sarcastic tone. She rolled her eyes at the same time.

Grinning, Syaoran stepped aside so Tomoyo could lock the door. "I'm just kidding. But seriously, you really do look wonderful."

Tomoyo smiled in return and said, "Thanks. By the way, you _know _that I have a car and am very capable of driving myself?"

Syaoran laughed, scratching his head. "Well, Sakura insisted. She would've come pick you up herself, but she was busy with work."

"That's okay," Tomoyo replied, walking with Syaoran to his dark green SUV. It was identical to Eriol's except in color. "I was just teasing. But still..."

Not replying, Syaoran opened the passenger door for Tomoyo and shut the door after her. He climbed in himself and the two were off.

"Y'know, you should feel really special," Syaoran said. "I really wanted Sakura to take me to_ Ruby Moon's_, but she said that she was taking you!"

"Did you want to go just for the sake of telling people that you made it in or did you want the food?" Tomoyo teased.

"Damn! You got me there, Tomoyo!" Syaoran laughed. "Nah, I want the food. I hear they have great pastries. Apparently, the baker's a pro! Man, I wish I had connections to him!"

"Her," Tomoyo corrected. "It's a her. But yeah. I agree. It's been pointless but for the hell of it, I line up during the day to see if I could get an order in. It never hurts to try!"

For the rest of the ride, Syaoran and Tomoyo discussed what they would've liked to order. The difference here was that Tomoyo could actually take that chance, which she intended to do. Reaching the destination, Syaoran dropped Tomoyo off. He rolled down the passenger window and called, "Have tons of fun, Tomoyo!"

"Sure thing! And thanks for the ride! If you're lucky, me an' Sakura'll save some leftovers for you!" Tomoyo called back.

Syaoran replied by sticking out his tongue, making him look like a little kid. The two laughed and waved to each other as Syaoran pulled back onto the main road. Tomoyo smiled to herself. Syaoran was a great guy and Tomoyo felt like they were siblings, the way they talked and acted together. She was really happy that Sakura had found him.

Finally, Tomoyo turned around, facing the restaurant front. It wasn't crowded in the front, as it normally was in the daytime. Mostly, people waited inside in the large side room. (In the daytime, it served as a lounge.) Tomoyo looked up at the glowing sign. _Ruby Moon's Chance_ was written in elegant cursive and shaded dark pink. These three words were neon lights themselves, not something that was simply printed onto a sheet with florescent lighting in the back. What sat next to the 'R' in Ruby was something a little more complicated. A common question among the people in town was how the owner had this piece created; it was a little statuette of a cat with overly large, pointy ears. The tail was long and ended in a couple of coils. If one looked carefully, on it's back were a pair of small nearly translucent wings. No doubt it was a tiny statue, but it was also lit up so passer byers couldn't miss it. This was one of the two mascots of the restaurant/café. The second one sat on the ground at the doors. This one was a large stone statue, somewhat resembling a panther, also with pointy ears. On it's forehead was a raised diamond shape. It's tail was long and also had a couple of coils. What made this statue especially special was that one it's back was a pair of huge butterfly wings. Most people thought that this was a large counterpart of the little cat on the sign, but no one was sure.

These two figures made Tomoyo smile. She swept her fingers across the panther's snout. Then, she take a breath and was about to open the door when–

BBRING BBRING! BBRING! It was Tomoyo's cell phone. Tomoyo stopped from stepping into the restaurant. Tomoyo dug into her purse and flipped it open.

"Tomoyo-chan?"

"Sakura-chan? What's up?"

On the other end, Sakura gave a sigh of relief to herself. "Good thing I reached you. Listen, this is really bad but I can't make it."

"Nani?!! But why?!"

"I know, I know, gomen gomen," Sakura apologized, without answering Tomoyo's question. "Listen, you should just go in yourself and enjoy, okay? Don't let me stop you. It's like a once in a lifetime chance!"

"No..." Tomoyo couldn't mask her disappointment. "It's okay, I'll just go home and–"

"NO!" Sakura shouted, making Tomoyo wrench her phone away from her ear.

"Ow...Sakura-chan..."

"Eh heh. Gomen. Now listen, I'm serious. Go in and enjoy. I'm sure that I can make it up to you. I insist."

Tomoyo sighed. She really didn't feel like going in by herself. Finally, after some pleading from Sakura, she gave in. "Okay, okay. I'll go."

"YES!" Sakura cried, once again, making Tomoyo jerk her head back. "Now go in and let me know how the food is! Ja!"

Click. Tomoyo looked at her phone with one eyebrow raised.

"Oooookay...whatever..." she mumbled to herself. She flipped her phone shut and shoved it back in her purse. "Here goes..." She pushed open the door and walked in. When she did, she realized that practically the talking in the waiting hall had stopped. Then she heard whispers.

"Look at her! She's so beautiful!"

"Isn't that Tomoyo Daidouji?"

"Oh yeah! That famous designer!"

"That dress is so...unique! D'you think it'll be for sale?"

Tomoyo smiled to herself, hearing these compliments. She stopped in front of the hostess, who was busy scribbling something down and trying to sort through menus at the same time. When she looked up, she seemed in shock too.

"Wow...your dress..."

"Thank you," Tomoyo replied sincerely. "I'm here for a reservation under 'Sakura Kinomoto?'"

"Oh, hold on..." The hostess tore her eyes away from Tomoyo's dress and searched her list. Her brow furrowed as she ran through the list again. She caught a passing waiter and showed the list to him, asking him a question.

"Touya?!" Tomoyo exclaimed.

The waiter looked up. His face split into a grin as he saw his little cousin.

"Hey! Tomoyo! Wow, what's with the get up? Damn! You look attractive!"

Tomoyo curtseyed and jokingly said, "Why thank you, kind sir!"

Touya laughed and whispered something to the hostess. She looked confused at first, but then nodded and said, "Touya will show you to your table."

Tomoyo nodded her thanks and was led away by Touya.

"You work everywhere, don't you, Touya? Looking quite handsome in that waiter's outfit."

Shrugging and adjusting the bow tie, Touya said, "Yeah, I guess. Say, you didn't design that dress did you?"

"Yep!" Tomoyo nodded and smiled. "My design, all the way! I wish Sakura could see it..."

"Mmmmm..." Touya didn't really answer. "Yeah..." Touya was leading her to the back patio. Before Touya step foot outside, he exclaimed, "Oh shoot! I forgot I have an order waiting back in the kitchen! Tomoyo, d'you mind..."

"Nope. Go ahead."

"Thanks. You're table's in the back around the corner. Enjoy!" Touya pointed outside and seeing that Tomoyo understood the location, he hurried off to the kitchens.

As Tomoyo walked by a couple tables, she could hear hushed conversations about her and her dress.

"Exquisite!..."

"Looks like _Midnight Star_ has a new design..."

"Wait a second! That's Tomoyo! _The_ Tomoyo!"

Again, Tomoyo smiled to herself. Of course she wasn't trying to show off, but she enjoyed the praise for her dress. Tomoyo's table was in the far back, kind of around the corner. This was a more private area and the tables were more spread out. As Tomoyo rounded the corner, her jaw nearly dropped and her purse almost slipped off her arm.

Someone was already sitting at her table. And that someone was the farthest thing from Sakura.

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ahaha...–scratches head– gomen, but I'm leaving it there for now. if you've been reading through, you might notice how I am with cliffhangers. –bows head– don't be mad...it just means that there's more fun to come! (wow, I sounded lame...) so no worries! besides, school hasn't started for me yet so I've got time on my hands! oh yeah, bout the dress, I totally made it up in my head so I don't know if it's really as beautiful as the chars in the story think but there you have it! I hope my description wasn't too shitty....so, review! click that button in that left hand corner! and suggestions if you have any! see you in ruby moon's in the next chap! . ja!


	13. Maybe Four Time's a Charm

welp, after downing bout 7 cups ov green tea, I'm ready to write! heeeeerrrrre...we go! (if you've ever played soul calibur, you'd know that xianghua says that a lot. it _always _gets stuc in my head...–sweatdrop–) and I wouldn't mind finding out why at the start of every chap I write, there's always this '1' that shows up....?

Innocence8: I'm mucho glad you think so! thanks!

sakuraxhearts: I updated! don't you think kawaii is sucha kawaii word? . thankies!

s2LoVe-YoU-AlwaYs: awww...thanks. your review meant lots to me!! (btw, I'm g. or ji. I felt obliged to give you my (nick)name since you gave me yours –grin– and I read your bio–you're in australia?!! ahaha! wanna be my penpal?!) . actually, my old english teacher told me I had probs with my style but there you have it! keep reading!

Ukari-chan: thanks for thinking so! looky! I continued!! –singsong voice–grins–

disclaimer: this may not be much ov one but I feel that I should put it in. the food mentioned in here were pulled from a cookbook called 'cooking with patrick clark' and I should honestly say that the food in here looks really yummy...excuse me as I drool over this dessert picture...eh heh

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CHAPTER THIRTEEN: Maybe Four Time's a Charm

Sitting at Tomoyo's table was a handsome man. His arms were folded and he was leaning back in his seat. His eyes were closed, as if he were taking a short nap. He wore a black dress shirt with the top two buttons unbuttoned. His hair looked well-kept but a little messy at the same time. It would have blended well with the night sky. The flames of the candles that sat on the table danced in the reflection of his oval-shaped glasses.

Tomoyo felt so stupid. She told herself that she should've realized that this was a whole setup by Sakura and no doubt, Syaoran. Obviously Sakura had somehow persuaded Touya to get in a reservation for two. Also, Tomoyo realized that Sakura didn't want her driving so that when Sakura bailed out, Tomoyo wouldn't be able to drive home. Clearly, Sakura and Syaoran had put in a lot of thought into this. If Tomoyo hadn't been in this situation, she would've admit that it was a pretty clever scheme. But seeing as she was _part_ of the scheme, she wasn't about to admit anything.

Finally, Tomoyo sighed. She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and smoothed down her dress. Avoiding eye contact with all the other customers, who were still whispering, she slowly made her way towards the table.

Eriol opened his eyes slowly. He hadn't noticed until now but there was some whispering going on. His vision was a little fuzzy, like he had just woken up. He had just closed his eyes for a second and soon he found himself dozing off. When his vision cleared up, Eriol adjusted his glasses. Then he realized that someone was walking towards him...it was Tomoyo. Suddenly, it was as if time slowed down. All Eriol saw was Tomoyo walking towards him...in a beautiful dress. But it was really Tomoyo that made the dress beautiful. The dress pulled out the lavender color in Tomoyo's eyes. He also hadn't noticed some of the glares he was receiving from some men his age. They were pretty much jealous of Eriol. Eriol shook his head slightly and stood up.

Tomoyo reached the table but she didn't sit down.

"Hello, Eriol," Tomoyo said pleasantly, mentally reminding herself to strangle Sakura the next time she saw her. Half of her couldn't believe that she was going through this. She again reminded herself to strangle Syaoran too. 'He's a damn good actor...' she thought.

"Tomoyo," Eriol replied, also nodding his head. He smiled. "Did you know that you look beyond beautiful?"

Hearing comments like this many times this evening, this was the first to make Tomoyo blush. Eriol took this as a 'Thank you.' He continued. "Are you here to meet someone?"

Tomoyo could've sworn that there was a loud 'THUNK!' as she felt her head jerk. 'This guy really _is_ dense,' Tomoyo thought, sweatdropping. It was clear that Eriol hadn't caught onto the scheme. Unless Syaoran had told him that he was meeting someone else? Tomoyo wasn't sure. Maybe she could pull it out of Eriol during dinner. Then she chuckled.

"You look like you're alone...mind if I join you?" Tomoyo didn't answer the question but she smiled nonetheless.

Eriol continued to smile. He walked around to pull out Tomoyo's seat. This revealed him wearing a nice pair of pressed khakis and...tennis shoes? 'Ah, well, nobody officially declared this place to be a formal restaurant,' Tomoyo thought. She sat down in the seat and Eriol pushed her in. A slight whiff of citrus smell ('Is that lemon?') rose in the air as Eriol did so. It was a light refreshing smell that seemed to surround Tomoyo. Eriol sighed softly. He breathed it in, enjoying the zest of it.

Sitting back down into his seat, Eriol leaned forward and asked, "So, Tomoyo, what brings you here?"

Tomoyo sweatdropped again. Pushing aside the already-known fact that Eriol was pretty much dense, she smiled again.

"Um...well, I was supposed to meet Sakura here but had to bail–I mean she couldn't make it. I decided to come in anyway." Tomoyo shrugged as if normal people would casually drop a chance to go to _Ruby Moon's Chance_.

Frowning, Eriol leaned back in his chair. "That's weird...I was supposed to meet Syaoran here. He called me right when I got here and told me he couldn't make it. Strange..."

"Eh heh heh...Yeah..." Tomoyo tried to laugh. Obviously Syaoran had set up Eriol the same way Sakura had with Tomoyo. "Looks like we were stranded, huh?"

"Well, not anymore. I must be one lucky guy to be sitting here with you!"

His words always hit the spot; Tomoyo blushed, mentally scolding herself.

"Good evening, my name is Touya and I'll be your waiter for the night."

Touya avoided Tomoyo's glance. She was glaring at him in an amusing way. He continued. "Can I start you off with something to drink?"

Glancing at Tomoyo, Eriol hesitated. Tomoyo gestured for him to go first.

"I'll just have some water, thanks."

"Urm...yeah. Me too," Tomoyo said.

Touya scribbled onto his pad and nodded. "I'll be back with those in a second. Take your time." He winked at Tomoyo, who rolled her eyes at him.

"Do you know him?" Eriol asked curiously.

"Hmph. Know him? He's my cousin. Sakura's brother," Tomoyo replied. She picked up the menu that was already sitting in front of her. Randomly, she said, "You look like a wine kinda guy...and you just got plain water?"

"What makes you think I'm a 'wine kinda guy?'" Eriol's voice asked teasingly. Tomoyo couldn't help noticing that there was a slight hint of challenge.

"Well..." Tomoyo said slowly. She flipped the page and let her eyes wander down the pasta list. "I assumed that sophisticated guys like you always drink wine? Or do you just buy it and let it sit your wine cellar?"

Eriol looked surprised for a moment and then laughed. "So are you complimenting me or insulting me?"

"Both?" Tomoyo smiled innocently. This caused Eriol to laugh again.

"I'm amused that you find me sophisticated!"

"Shouldn't I?" Tomoyo had thought so, despite the way he dressed. She didn't hold this against him though. Deep inside, he seemed like a little kid. It was more the tone of his voice that made her think this.

"I guess I should ask why _you _didn't order wine?" Eriol's menu was open but he wasn't looking at it. "Can't you hold your liquor?" Another challenge.

"Of course I can!" Tomoyo answered, a little too forcefully. She wasn't angry though. "May I ask if _you _can hold in your caffeine?!"

It was turning into a battle. The tone of the two voices both contained a mixture of teasing nature and challenge. A melodious voice and a "sophisticated" one shot back and forth. A few neighboring couples turned around in their seats.

"Aw...does little Tomoyo get tipsy after one glass of an alcoholic beverage?"

"It's not like we haven't witnessed _you _after a latte!"

"Stop trying to change the subject."

"What subject?! This isn't about me! It's about you and your caffeine problems! I started this convo first!"

"Oh? And what about you and your alcohol problems?"

"Eriol! Geez, not that loud!!" Tomoyo pleaded, dropping her voice a bit. She leaned in and hastily whispered, "You don't want people thinking I'm an alcoholic, do you?"

Also leaning forward, Eriol also whispered. "So are you admitting defeat?"

"Defeat?! Over what?!"

Tomoyo couldn't help noticing how close their faces were. The only thing between them was the small candle.

"If you're done discussing _both _of your drinking problems, can I take your order?"

Both Tomoyo and Eriol jerked back at the sound of Touya's voice. He looked half-amused and half-impatient to get in their orders.

"Oh...um..." Tomoyo scrambled through her mind to remember what she had wanted to order. "Can I have an order of this Shrimp and Shiitake Strudel?"

"And you sir?"

"I'd like to have the Pan-Roasted Chilean Sea Bass," Eriol said, calmly as ever. He handed his menu to Touya.

"Sure thing. Can I interest you guys in some wine? We have a very nice house special that–"

"Get outta here, Touya!" Tomoyo laughed. She picked up the glass of water that Touya had already set down and raised it. "We can pretend it's wine, okay?"

Eriol smiled and raised his. They tipped the glasses together, making the contact sound like a crisp bell. Both took a sip and set down their glasses. The momentary silence between the two was filled in by the chatter of the other customers.

Then, Tomoyo looked, remembering something.

"I almost forgot! I really wanted to thank you for the gift, Eriol."

"What gift?"

Another mental 'THUNK!' for Tomoyo. 'You'd think he'd know what I was talking about...' Tomoyo thought. 'I mean, he only just gave me the equipment yesterday.' She cleared her throat and spoke. "The editing equipment." She said this quietly, as if she were shy.

"Oh! That! Did you like it?"

"I loved it!" Tomoyo exclaimed. "I mean, the note was already nice enough. And it _did _make me smile, just to let you know."

Eriol propped up his elbow onto the table. His chin rested in his hand. "I wish I could've seen the look on your face."

Another blush seared across Tomoyo's cheeks. 'Dammit! Why does every other thing he says make me turn red?!' She wanted to slap herself to make sure she was still in tune with the conversation. "Um...yeah. But it was really thoughtful and I wanted to call you to thank you..." Tomoyo drifted off. She looked down to her lap.

"That's okay. Just seeing you smile is enough."

If the night went on like this, Tomoyo deduced that all the blood would have rushed to her head and she might as well not even have a body, seeing as all the blood had left her system. She wanted to bang her head on the table. 'Oh why oh why oh why?!' Tomoyo screamed mentally. She was also thankful that her mind had left her alone and not argued or else Tomoyo would really have gone insane. 'Why does this always happen?! Can't he just tape his mouth shut?! No no no, I don't want that. But I don't want to constantly be blushing!! This is so goddamn embarrassing! Okay, breathe. Speak. Keep the convo going.' Again, Tomoyo cleared her throat. 'Dammit, then he'll be asking me if I need cough drops...No! Talk!' Tomoyo started to fiddle with the hems of the table cloth before starting to speak. "I thought you bought the equipment for yourself?"

Eriol blinked. He looked confused for a split second before replying. "Oh no. I bought it for my friend Nakuru."

It was Tomoyo's turn to blink. "Nakuru?" she repeated. 'Are they more than friends? Is that his girlfriend? No way, he wouldn't be on this date with me in the first place then! Wait! Date?! Is this a date? Why do I care if he has a girlfriend? Hang on...is he engaged? Ahhhhhh!! Why am I thinking this?!! Speak, Tomoyo, you baka!!' Unintentionally, she cleared her throat. But Tomoyo didn't stop to think about it. "Is she your girlfriend?" she asked quietly. Also unintended. She had meant it to sound like a casual question.

Tomoyo waited for the answer. "Yes, she's my girlfriend, and we're engaged. We're getting married in less than two weeks. I wish I could invite you to the wedding, Tomoyo but we're booked." Tomoyo felt like she had a headache coming on...

Eriol laughed. Tomoyo looked up. She felt confused, after all, the answer she heard...wait a second...she hadn't heard that at all! She was thinking it!

"Girlfriend? She's the farthest thing from it!" Eriol explained. "She's more like my older sister. She takes care of me when I'm around. We're just childhood friends."

Again, Tomoyo wanted to smack her head off the table. She couldn't believe she was mentally answering her own questions in a worse case scenario!

Meanwhile, as Tomoyo was lost in her thoughts, Eriol recalled how he had promptly headed back to _Kero's _and demanded (politely, of course) for the exact model and make of the video equipment so he could go out and buy it. It hadn't been painstaking; he just went to a different electronics store and bought it. He had also picked up some wrapping paper on the way. A guy like him rarely carried around wrapping paper on the house.

But back with Tomoyo...Tomoyo started to question if she truly had gone insane. Then she thought, '_Would _that have been the worse case scenario...for me?' Finally, trying to forget the moment of insanity she had just experienced, Tomoyo looked up at Eriol. She spoke, sounded like herself again.

"Thanks, Eriol. The note and equipment did cheer me up. I felt really special to know that you were thinking of me." Tomoyo smiled the smile that made her eyes sparkle. It was a smile that had been rarely seen for past week or so. At this, Eriol smiled again. Tomoyo couldn't help noticing that Eriol seemed to be a big smiler, especially when he was talking to her. Every smile made his azure eyes crinkle, making Tomoyo melt. She wasn't sure why, but she felt that his glasses completed the effect. Or maybe that was because that was just the way Eriol was.

Touya interrupted the moment by arriving with their dishes. After wishing them a good meal, he left and talk resumed. The conversation jumped all over the place. Eriol had asked about Tomoyo's past with singing ("I was in a lot of national competitions in grade school and was in choir.") and Tomoyo asked about Eriol's life ("I lived in England for half of my life and moved here to look into architecture.") The night went on like this, up until the two finished their dinners. Both agreed that _Ruby Moon's _definitely lived up to it's reputation and decided to go all out by considering dessert. It was a tough choice, seeing as there was a whole list of possibilities.

Finally, Touya returned to collect their dishes. Tomoyo suspected that Touya was taking a long time deliberately to give the two some time alone. (She wasn't wrong.)

"So, can I interest you two in some dessert?"

"Well, what d'you recommend, Touya?" Tomoyo asked. She was still skimming the list. "Everything looks delicious!"

"Then why don't you order them all? All of them are really good." Touya shrugged.

"For being such a handsome waiter, you're not much help," teased Tomoyo.

"Hey, I'm telling the truth! Pick any one and I guarantee you that it'll be good."

"Ermmm...then I'll take this Cherry-Raspberry Pillow," Tomoyo said, slightly chewing on her lip. This indicated her uncertainty. A chance to actually order a dessert and Tomoyo could only pick one?! Tomoyo wished that she could camp overnight until she tried every single dessert listed.

"And I'll take this Pear Skillet Cake," Eriol said.

Touya raised his eyebrow for a moment but scribbled on his pad again and said, "Okay. I'll put that order in for you guys."

Minutes later, Touya returned with two large plates.

"Here you go. I cut them extra large just for you guys." Setting down the plates, Touya swiftly turned around to leave the two alone again.

"Tomoyo, I almost forgot," Eriol started, "to ask about your dress."

"Oh. Um, okay. Go ahead." Tomoyo looked up from her dessert to listen.

"What I said to you...did it help?" Eriol had glanced down momentarily to cut a small piece to taste his dessert. He then looked up, waiting for Tomoyo's answer.

"It did. That was the other thing that I wanted to thank you for," Tomoyo said. She tucked another loose strand of hair behind her ear and took the first bite of her dessert. "Oooooh. This is sooooooooooooo good!" Tomoyo tilted back her head, closing her eyes. Clearly she was enjoying every bit of it. "Yeah, but anyway. I think I finally understood your philosophical ways, Eriol. It kinda clicked in me after awhile."

"And? Is it a dress from your heart?" Eriol inquired. He ate his dessert slowly, watching Tomoyo. He didn't need to ask this question. Just by looking at Tomoyo and the way she made the dress look was enough to answer the question.

Tomoyo smiled at him and nodded. "I'd have to say that it was thanks to you that I found it. I think it might have settled a little bit of me an' my mom's disagreements."

"That's good. Judging from that whispering earlier, you really stood out!"

"Nah," Tomoyo laughed, "it's just the dress."

"No. It's _you _that made the dress stand out." Eriol said. "Now, try some of this."

For the umpteenth time, Tomoyo blushed. She blushed even more when Eriol held out a piece of his cake for her to try. 'Is it rude of me not to offer him a piece of my dessert?' Tomoyo wildly thought. 'Oh man oh man! This looks like when people are at weddings and the bride and groom are feeding each other cake and– aahhhhhh! Why is this happening?! If people saw us, will they think that we're getting married?! Shit! It'll be a totally wrong impression! Aahhhhhh!! Shut up shut up! Just eat the damn cake!' Tomoyo leaned forward and opened her mouth. Then she started hearing it.

"Awww...look at that. They must be newly weds."

"I bet that's what they looked like when they fed each other their wedding cake!"

Eriol seemed unfazed by it. He continued to smile at Tomoyo. Tomoyo was quite sure that there wasn't any possible color that could match the red on her face. She ate the cake and sat back down normally in her seat. Munching on it, people giggled and fantasized about newly weds these days and so on and so forth. Tomoyo ignored it, soaking in the creamy ice cream and pear flavored cake that melted in her mouth. Two cakes from _Ruby Moon's _would have to do in Tomoyo's life time. It was a better deal than one.

"Damn...this is soooooooooo good," Tomoyo said, swallowing. "I wish I could sit here forever and just eat all these cakes. How much d'you think it'd cost me to buy the baker and bring her home with me?"

"Hmmm, looks like we'll have to fight over this one," Eriol said. He grinned at Tomoyo. "I wouldn't mind having a baker like her around the condo."

Tomoyo pouted. "Too bad. Guys like you don't need to eat desserts. Women indulge more often and have good reason to."

Eriol responded by shaking his head and rolling his eyes. The two took their time taking in the desserts and chatting. As this went on, Eriol noticed that Tomoyo was giggling more and more. Giggling? He was quite certain girls giggled often but did they when they heard, "I found nothing in my refrigerator and had to go grocery shopping"? No, Eriol didn't think so. He concluded that Tomoyo must've been on some type of sugar high. Tomoyo stood up suddenly when she finished her Cherry-Raspberry Pillow.

"Oooh. Looky over there! It's a fountain!" Tomoyo giggled. Eriol noticed that her words were a bit slurred. As far as Eriol knew, people know slurred their words when they were drunk. Surely Tomoyo...? She couldn't be. Neither had touched a drop of alcohol.

For the moment being, Tomoyo was slipping off her heels. She picked them up and skipped down to fountain.

'What the hell...?' Eriol thought, watching, feeling bewildered. Then he grabbed the dessert menu. Reading the description of his dessert, he groaned. It read: '...With a scoop of a special ice cream made with an assortment of rum and whiskey.' He had guessed right; Tomoyo wasn't very good at holding her liquor. Eriol threw down the menu thinking, 'Ooooooh shit...' and hurried off towards the fountain.

The fountain sat in the middle of the large patio. In it, Tomoyo was dancing around, letting the water splash over her. Yes, _in_ the fountain. Her shoes sat on the edge.

"C'mon, Tomoyo," Eriol coaxed. "C'mon out. You don't want to get your dress messy, do you?" Even as Eriol said this, he couldn't help smiling and say it in a teasing tone. Tomoyo was laughed as the sprays of water splashed from the spurting water from the top. Somehow, seeing Tomoyo laugh and dance around water added to her charm.

Tomoyo laughed again. She threw her arms around Eriol but remained in the fountain. Her arms soaked the top of Eriol's shirt. Strands of Tomoyo's hair was matted against her face. Not to mention her face was basically dripping with water.

"Tomoyo, are you tipsy or all out drunk?" Eriol inquired, grinning.

In response, Tomoyo giggled. "Wouldn't you like to know!" she answered in a singsong voice. She pressed her forehead against Eriol's, now making his bangs get damp. "I think...I might be tipsy..." she whispered.

Of course, all the customers were staring. Most felt like they were watching some sort of strange movie. A strange romantic one, at that. Some even twisted in their seats to see if there were any hidden cameras. Eriol felt a little stupid, having his arms hang loosely at his sides, but he kept them there. It wasn't really fair to take advantage of a drunk person, right? (Not that he had intended to or anything.)

"Is that a bad thing?" Tomoyo continued to whisper. "Being...a lil–hic–...tipsy?"

"Tomoyo, I think you should go home and get some rest. I don't want you to catch a cold," Eriol said. He was about to lift Tomoyo out when her arms tightened around him. She leaned her head on his shoulder.

"But I like it here...the water feels nice," she protested, making her sound like a ten year-old.

Eriol sighed. Generally, he wouldn't have minded standing there all night but for the benefit of all the other customers, he decided it would've been a better idea to leave. Except for the fact that Tomoyo wasn't letting him.

"Tipsy..." Tomoyo murmured. And then...a barely audible snore arose from Eriol's right shoulder. He sweatdropped.

"Oh boy..." Eriol muttered. He lifted Tomoyo out of the fountain, still clinging to him. He thought for a moment. He was about to turn around to pick up Tomoyo's shoes when he nearly bumped into Touya.

Touya's eyebrow was raised. He was holding out Tomoyo's shoes and purse.

"The check?" Eriol asked.

"Ah well, I'll charge it to Saku–I mean, I'll send you the bill."

Eriol nodded gratefully. He detached Tomoyo from himself and scooped her up. Touya set the shoes and purse gently on top of Tomoyo. Tomoyo sighed. She seemed to be having some good dreams. Eriol and Touya both sighed. With that, Eriol walked back through the restaurant to the entrance.

As he exited the patio, there were bursts of sobbing and clapping.

"It's...so beautiful..." sobbed a middle-aged woman. She was dabbing her eyes with her napkin.

"Young love these days," sobbed another. "There _is _hope for the future!"

All the men sweatdropped. They were all thinking, 'It's not like they were putting on a show or anything...'

As Eriol pulled his blue SUV out onto the main road, he realized that he was again abandoning Tomoyo's car, wherever it was. Thinking for a bit, he decided it was unavoidable. He glanced at his watch. It was almost midnight. Making things worse, Eriol had no idea where Tomoyo lived and thought that it was a bad idea to barge into Sakura's to leave Tomoyo there. It was a little too late for that. Sighing, he decided that the only choice was to bring her home with him.

Pulling into his small driveway, Eriol glanced at Tomoyo. She was still sleeping but still somewhat drenched.

'Better get her in before she catches cold or something.' Eriol pulled the wet Tomoyo out, re-drenching his shirt, and carried her inside. He lay her on his bed and went to grab a couple towels. When he returned, he patted Tomoyo's face dry and dried off her arms. He felt that it wasn't a good idea for a soaked person to sleep in a soaked outfit, but Eriol decided that there was really nothing to do. So he just set the towels on his bedside table and pulled up the comforter nice and tight around Tomoyo, who was still snoozing peacefully.

'Looks like I'll have to hit the sofa. Damn, I knew I should've bought a more comfy one...' Eriol was pulling some extra blankets out of his closet when Tomoyo stirred. She then groaned and stretched out. She murmured something. Eriol frowned and quietly walked over to her side. She had her eyes open half way. They looked a little fuzzy.

"Eriol...?" she murmured.

"Are you okay? D'you need something?" Eriol asked. "Maybe a cup of water?"

Tomoyo shook her head. She closed her eyes again, presumably falling back asleep. Eriol smiled, and shifted the blankets to one arm. He swept back strands of Tomoyo's hair from her face. He chuckled and was about to turn around when he heard his name again.

"Nani?"

"Come here, I wanna ask you something," Tomoyo whispered. Eriol stepped back and leaned over so he could hear Tomoyo. "Is it okay...that someone of my age...gets so wasted after having some ice cream?"

Eriol sweatdropped. "Of course, Tomoyo," he answered, at the same time, reminding himself to never _ever _offer Tomoyo any kind of alcohol, even if it was a sip. "After all, it was _just _ice cream..."

Tomoyo giggled. Obviously the alcohol hadn't worn off. Her eyes still had a fuzzy look to them, like she couldn't clearly see what was in front of her.

"Aww, you're so sweet for agreeing with me," Tomoyo whispered. She giggled again. Before Eriol knew it, she was wrapping around her arms around his neck and pulling him down for a nice, long good night kiss, right on the lips. "Tee hee...G'night..."

Shlump. With that, Tomoyo's arms went limp and she was back in dreamland.

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this's random, but I _did_ deliberately look for a dessert that alcohol in it, but I'm not sure why...–sweatdrop– damn! this chap was extra long! so! review! onegai! I'll try to fit in one more chap before school starts. review review!! nyahahahaha! umm...okay. so, suggestions if any. til the next chap! (hehe, I can't wait. I've had this one planned out from the very beginning! g's excited!!) ja ne!


	14. Hot Water and Kitchen Towels

I'm back!! miss me? –smiles– numero uno, it is early in the morn and I got up especially to post this up. dint I promise to post another chap before school started? –grins– welp, I'm off a new school where I'll be a complete newbie. and a junior. wish me tons ov luck!!

quick note: I've posted another ffic and it's eXt (can't get enough ov them!!) it's called Smudged Love so check it out for me, kay? the location's based on this town I live in. if you remember clow park from this fic, you might see elements ov it over in Smudged later on. lemme know how you like it!!

okay, here are my thanks an then I'll shut up:

Innocence8: heh heh...lots and lots ov alcohol...yes evil grinlaughs yep! thankies!

s2LoVe-YoU-AlwaYs: nihao to you! –grins– hell yeah I was bein serious! yay! –g jumps for joy– I now have a kickass penpal from australia!! thanks and I'll do my best to keep it up!

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CHAPTER FOURTEEN: Hot Water and Kitchen Towels

'She was drunk, she was drunk, she was drunk, she was drunk...' Eriol thought. He barely got any sleep last night. And it wasn't because of his stiff sofa. He kept replaying the moment in his head. _The_ moment. He couldn't stop thinking about it and clearly, neither did his mind. When he had lied down on his sofa to go to sleep, Eriol discovered that despite his want to go to sleep, he couldn't.

"Augh..." Eriol groaned. He covered his eyes with his hand, only to knock into his glasses. Why were they still on? He realized that he was in such a state of shock that he had quite simply crawled into his blankets and lay on the sofa, thinking away. Normally Eriol loved the sunlight but it was starting to irritate his vision.

He pulled off his blanket, still thinking, 'She was drunk, she was drunk, she was drunk...' Eriol felt the soft carpet beneath his feet as he sat up. At least he hadn't been in a complete state of shock to forget to change into his pajamas. He was wearing a loose black tee shirt and a pair of dark blue, plaid pajama pants.

Stretching and trudging up stairs to the bathroom, he kept telling him the same thing over and over again.

'She was drunk, she was drunk...'

Eriol wasn't exactly sure why he kept thinking this. It was as if his voice had been recorded and was duplicated onto a tape and someone had pressed 'play.' Of course he knew that Tomoyo was drunk. Was he trying to convince himself of something else? But this didn't help. Not able to answer the question, the tape played on...when Eriol walked up the stairs...when Eriol opened the bathroom door...when Eriol was brushing his teeth...when Eriol was taking a shower...when Eriol decided to stay in his pajamas and laze around for the day...when Eriol went to his room to check up on Tomoyo. For a moment, his thoughts paused when he looked in.

Tomoyo looked perfectly fine. She was sleeping on her side and the comforter scrunched up around her. Her sleeping face was peaceful and her steady breathing assured Eriol that she hadn't got a cold. He smiled and shut the door quietly.

His mind hit 'play' again.

Minutes later, he was downstairs in his kitchen, whipping up some pancake batter.

'She was drunk, she was drunk...'

Throwing down the wooden spoon he was using to stir the batter, Eriol threw up his arms and grabbed his head.

'Shut up shut up!' he mentally shouted. 'Dammit! I _know _she was drunk! So what's the big deal?!'

But apparently, it was a big deal. Once Eriol had gone back to stirring the mix, those three words played over and over again.

Meanwhile back upstairs...

Tomoyo woke up, opening her eyes slightly. Her vision was a little fuzzy and she wasn't feeling too good in the stomach area. She shut her eyes and rolled over on her other side. She hugged her pillow and stuffed her face in it, hoping to catch a little more sleep. But the aching feeling in her head and stomach weren't aiding much in this attempt.

"Aughhh..." Tomoyo groaned, feeling a nauseating type of feeling in her head and body. She inhaled deeply, trying to forget the pain. When she did, she realized that the smell she had taken smelled a little like oranges... 'Wait a second...when did I get new laundry detergent?' Tomoyo sighed and inhaled again. Even if it was new detergent, she sure did like it. It helped clear some of the dizziness. But it still lingered. Tomoyo groaned again and rolled over to check the time. Her vision was still fuzzy but she could make out the time on the alarm clock. It was 1:44 pm.

'Damn...I slept that long?...' Tomoyo tumbled out of the bed and sat on the floor for a bit.

Rubbing her eyes, hoping her vision would clear up, she looked around. It was no use. Things still looked fuzzy, not to mention the groggy feeling in her head.

'Oh...that's right...I think I got drunk or something...' Tomoyo thought. She hadn't realized that she was still wearing her dress. 'This definitely feels like a hangover...augh...headache...feeling dizzy...'

Groaning again, Tomoyo crawled over to her dresser. Funny...she didn't remember having such a light colored dresser.

'Must be the sun...' Tomoyo thought. She opened one drawer and pulled out what looked like a pair of plaid pajama paints. Strange...she didn't remember owning a pair of blue pajama pants. She opened the drawer underneath that and pulled out a tee shirt. Weird...she didn't remember owning such a large tee shirt. 'I must be delusional...this is so embarrassing. I'm twenty-two and can't hold my liquor...thank God I got home before I started bouncing off the walls. Or challenged someone to a chugging contest...or...augh...shut up, Tomoyo. Just go get a shower.'

Getting up slowly and clutching her new-found clothes, Tomoyo stumbled towards the door. The soft carpet beneath her toes made her faltered steps quiet. She turned left into the hallway and trudged down the hall. She reached the bathroom and opened the door. It wasn't the bathroom. It was the closet.

'Ooookay..I really am wasted...can't even find my way around my own home...' Tomoyo didn't bother to close the closet door and she trudged back the opposite way.

Meanwhile downstairs in kitchen, the usual was happening.

'She was drunk, she was drunk...' Eriol poured half a cup of batter onto the griddle. The pan sizzled as the batter made contact. 'She was drunk, she was drunk...' He sprinkled chocolate chips onto the batter. 'She was drunk, she was drunk...SHUT UP!' Eriol flipped the pancake. 'She was drunk, she was drunk...augh...'

So, back upstairs...

Turning on the shower, Tomoyo turned to grab a towel.

'Did I always have my washer and dryer in the bathroom?...' Tomoyo thought. She grabbed a folded towel out of the laundry basket that sat on top of the dryer. 'Oh...yeah...I'm delusional, I forgot...' Tomoyo shook her head again. No matter what, she couldn't get that fuzzy feeling out of her head. She turned the water up extra hot.

After hopping into the shower, Tomoyo felt more refreshed when the hot water pounded her face.

'Okay, so maybe I got drunk but at least I didn't get a hangover...that would suck...' Like the water flowing down the drain, Tomoyo's dizzy feeling was also fading. Her eyesight was most definitely clearing up. But that didn't mean she was clear up in her mind.

Cupping her hands to catch some water, Tomoyo continued to let the hot water splash across her face. When her hands were overflowing, she splashed the water across her face again.

'Dammit...that's the last time I ever drink wine...not until I know I can hold it...'

Of course, Tomoyo didn't drink wine and she was unclear of what had happened hours before. Tomoyo sighed and reached for the bottle of shampoo that sat on the corner. Squeezing a liberal amount of shampoo into her hand and working it into her long hair, the smell of the shampoo flooded the shower. It mixed in with the steam that arose around her.

Sniffing, Tomoyo realized that this wasn't the shampoo she had used yesterday.

"Weird..." Tomoyo murmured to herself. It didn't matter though. She quite enjoyed the smell of the shampoo. She told herself that she must have finished her previous bottle and stuck in a new one.

She thoroughly rinsed her hair and combed her fingers through her hair.

'Why can't I remember anything after eating dessert last night?' Tomoyo wondered. 'The food was soooo good. It couldn't have been a dream, right?'

Back downstairs...

'She was drunk...pour that damn batter, Eriol, you moron...' Eriol thought. 'Sprinkle the chips...quit thinking about last night...she was drunk...people under the influence of alcohol do crazy things...golden brown edges...flip the pancake...the kiss didn't mean anything...she was drunk...' Eriol found himself trying to interrupt the 'tape' be listing out the steps to produce pancakes. Next to the stove was a plate with a stack of fresh pancakes. Eriol prided himself in making what Syaoran called 'the surprisingly good pancakes to ever pass through his stomach.'

Checking his watch and seeing that it was almost two in the afternoon, Eriol decided that he would go wake up Tomoyo if she hadn't herself. Surely she could use a good breakfast after last night's alcohol intake.

"I'll give her another ten minutes..." Eriol muttered to himself. He expertly tossed the pancake out of the pan and the pancake landed with a 'flop' on top of the stack. Eriol looked at the counters. A nice excessive amount of batter was splattered everywhere. He even had it on his face, not to mention a speck on his glasses. Eriol sighed. Making good pancakes came at a price: being a slob with the batter.

Eriol reached into a drawer to pull out a towel to wipe up his mess.

'Hmm...? I guess I didn't refill the drawer?' Eriol pulled the drawer all the way out to reveal an empty drawer, despite some towel lint. Eriol sighed again. The smell of the pancakes was calling to him. But the counter was begging to be cleaned. Eriol know if he didn't clean it, he'd find a way to make more of a mess with it.

Trying desperately to shut off the 'tape,' Eriol focused on making one foot after another step onto the each individual steps. He trekked upstairs slowly to grab some kitchen towels.

Back in the bathroom with Tomoyo...

"Ahhhh..." Tomoyo sighed. She shut off the water and stepped out. The whole bathroom was filled with steam, fogging the mirrors along with the surroundings. She grabbed a towel from the basket and dried herself. The hot water shower had definitely cleared up her head and vision. Tomoyo felt refreshed and was tussling with the towel and her hair, trying to dry it off without spraying water everywhere. She wiped her back again to rid of the water from her hair. Sighing, Tomoyo wished she could take a hot shower everyday. She was thinking that until, suddenly, the door swung open.

Eriol blinked.

Tomoyo blinked.

Eriol sweatdropped.

Tomoyo's eye twitched.

Eriol blinked again.

Tomoyo's eye twitched again.

And then...

"EEEEEEEEEEEEYYYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!"

"AHHHHH! GOMEN GOMEN GOMEN!!"

"GET OUT GET OUT YOU PERV!"

Tomoyo grabbed the bottle of shampoo and launched it out Eriol and tried to cover herself with her towel at the same time. It wasn't helping.

"GOMEN GOMEN!!" Eriol cried, blocking his face from the shampoo bottle. "I was just coming to get–umph!"

The jug of laundry detergent just made contact with his stomach.

"JUST GET OUT, DAMMIT!!" Tomoyo screamed, still throwing objects at Eriol.

Eriol was backing out with objects bouncing off of him as he fruitlessly tried to explain himself.

"I need some towels and–ack–Tomoyo! Let me explain–omph–"

"YOU PERVERT!! GET THE HELL OUT!!" Tomoyo roared. Once Eriol made it out back into the hall, she slammed the door.

Eriol was sitting sprawled on the floor completely dazed. He couldn't believe what had just happened...and even worse, he was trying to defend himself when it clearly wasn't the time.

The bathroom door was wrenched open. Behind it was a fuming Tomoyo. Her face was completely red and she had dressed herself in Eriol's clothes. Her dress was draped over her one arm. In the other was a handful of towels.

"Tomoyo..." Eriol started, making another attempt (now presumably at the right time) to redeem himself. He started to stand up when–

FWAP! something soft hit his face but it was the force that sent Eriol back onto the ground. Tomoyo had slammed the towels at his face, and amazingly, with an incredible force. Before Eriol could even contemplate the possibilities of a towel knocking him over, Tomoyo had stepped around him and was charging down the stairs.

"Tomoyo! Hold on!" Eriol scrambled up, stumbling over some towels. "I can explain!" He nearly tripped down the stairs trying to catch up to Tomoyo.

Tomoyo was maneuvering her way through the furniture in the living room, snatching her purse and shoes off the coffee table on the way. Eriol was skipping two and three steps at a time. He leapt off with six steps to go and raced to catch Tomoyo. Gaining on her, Eriol reached out to grab her arm when he crashed into her back.

Surprisingly, Tomoyo stood firm, as if she had meant for Eriol to collide into her back. She retreated a few steps, stepping light around Eriol. She stuffed a pancake into her mouth and headed back towards the door. Eriol, who had been momentarily stunned, tried to reach for Tomoyo again.

Tomoyo swiftly stepped out the door, barefoot, and slammed the door in Eriol's face. Eriol screeched to a halt before crashing into the door. He was mid-sigh when the door opened again.

"Ah, Tomoyo–"

Completely ignoring Eriol, Tomoyo stepped around him again and took a brisk walk towards the kitchen. She shoved another pancake in her mouth, picked up the whole entire plate of pancakes, and headed out the door.

"Tomo–yomph–" Eriol started, getting interrupted as Tomoyo shoved a pancake in his mouth.

So with a plate full of pancakes in one hand, dress, shoes and purse in another arm, wearing Eriol's clothes, and barefoot, Tomoyo stepped out the door, managing to shut the door all together.

Eriol stood there, pancake dangling from his mouth, his hand outstretched as if he wanted to stop Tomoyo. He stood in a complete daze.

'My pancakes...' he mentally whimpered.

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since I talked so much up there, I'll just be quiet and tell you the usual. review for me!! I always wanna know what you guys think! send suggestions if any...oh I should prolly say that I'm planning to run this fic for only a couple chappies more. –sad puppy eyes– I don't wanna end it but I've got this ending planned out and it's a lil hard to add in more events. so, if you have any ideas, feel free to send them. I can't promise that I'll use them but I'll see what I can do. til chap 15—ja!


	15. Just the Guys

my thanks, per usual:

Mei fa-chan: glad you thought so! thanks!

s2LoVe-YoU-AlwaYs: thankie kindly! I like my sense ov humor too!! nyahaha! –ahem– anyways, thanks!

Ukari-chan: I don't wanna end this either!! T.T –tears– but I'll have more to come, no fear! –smiles– thankies!!

awww...I hate to complain but where are all my regular reviewers/readers? is no one reading this? –sniffles– dun worry, I'm not the evil kinda author who doesn't update if there aren't many reviews –grins– but I miss you guys!! (you guys, along with the others, always leave nice reviews and keep me motivated!!)

oh yeah, I'm doing this with my other fic too but if you wanna know when I update, I'd be happy to e you to letcha know! just leave your e-address and you'll be good to go! if you've got that author alert thing goin, then that's fine too!

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CHAPTER FIFTEEN: Just the Guys

"A-and...she walked out with my pancakes!!"

Syaoran blinked. Then he sweatdropped. Then, he burst out laughing so hard that Eriol was nearly blown away.

"Oh man!!" Syaoran took a few breaths before continuing to talk. He kept laughing in between his breaths, turning red at the same time. "That–is the most–ha ha–classic thing I've ever heard!"

As always, Eriol had consulted Syaoran about 'the date.' The two were hanging out in Eriol's kitchen, where Eriol was whipping up another batch of pancakes. It had been a couple of hours after the 'Eriol stepping into the bathroom and seeing Tomoyo naked' incident and it was way past breakfast. Nonetheless, Eriol had called Syaoran over to chat.

Syaoran nearly fell off his stool from laughing and doubled over, clutching his stomach.

"It's not funny, y'know," Eriol said, his lower lip sticking out slightly. "That girl has a killer arm. She managed to knock me off my feet with some towels."

"So...you mentioned that you brought her here..." Syaoran said thoughtfully. He scratched his chin. Then he shot Eriol an evil smirk. "And you put her in your bed? Oh ho..."

Eriol glanced at Syaoran and saw the smirk. Eriol's forehead furrowed and stared at Syaoran.

"God, Syaoran. Don't you have any emotions that originate _above _the waist?"

At this, Syaoran dropped his smirk and laughed again. "What d'you mean by _that_?" he gasped in between laughs.

It was Eriol's turn to smirk. "Nothing, nothing at all, dear cousin. Anyways–"

"Wait, you didn't finish," Syaoran cut in. "What happened?"

"I told you–Nothing. Happened."

"Are you sure? I think you left out the details on purpose..." Syaoran's eyebrow was raised and the evil grin was back.

"Syaoran..." Eriol said, exasperated. "Do I look like a guy that'd take advantage of a poor, little, drunk girl?"

Syaoran leaned on the counter, tipping his stool, and looked at Eriol up and down. Eriol had set down his wooden spoon.

"Hmmm..." Syaoran mumbled thoughtfully. He scratched his chin and then ran one hand through his hair.

"Why are you hesitating?!!" Eriol wailed. "Am I _that _bad?!"

This caused Syaoran to laugh again. "I didn't say anything!" he laughed defensively. He held up his hands and shrugged. "Okay...so I'll just take the fact that you didn't do anything...for now. Until you're ready to 'fess up."

"Syaoran!!"

"Okay okay...geez...you're no fun whatsoever. Okay, let's recap."

"Do we have to?" Eriol whined. He flipped another pancake onto the stack. "I told you everything."

"Yeah, but some parts we gotta go by again. Y'know, like slow-mo mode!" Syaoran cried enthusiastically.

"'Slow-mo...?' What the hell–"

"Let's start back at the beginning!"

"No. I don't want to do this," Eriol said. He knew Syaoran could go for a _long_ time on this subject and would bug Eriol until he got every, single, last itty-bitty detail.

"C'mon! Relive the moments, man! Didn't you enjoy them?"

"More or less," Eriol answered, as if he didn't care very much. He continued to concentrate on the pancakes and tune out Syaoran's enthusiasm. Lucky for Eriol, with Syaoran chatting in the background, he was somehow able to shut off 'the tape' that kept replaying and replaying those three words: "She was drunk."

"You said you guys kissed?" Syaoran said thoughtfully. "I say you shoulda done so the first time around!"

Ignoring Syaoran's last comment, Eriol said, "She was drunk, Syaoran. It didn't mean anything. She was drunk, wasted, whatever. I mean, she was giggling like hell!"

"So?"

Eriol didn't answer immediately but then stammered, "So it didn't mean anything!"

"Oh yeah? I think your face says otherwise." Syaoran wore a very smug smile that was too much for Eriol to bear. From Syaoran's viewpoint, Eriol's face was on fire.

Mentally, Eriol was shouting, 'SHIIIIT!!' On the outside, he remained calm (but of course, his face defying him) and went back to concentrate on the pancakes.

But Syaoran, being Syaoran, wasn't going to let him off so easily. He went on, trying to keep the conversation flowing. "Okay! How 'bout the moment you saw her?"

"The moment I saw her was the moment she flipped out on me and threw my coffee at me."

"No no, you baka. Not _that_ moment, the yesterday moment. At _Ruby Moon's_."

"Who wants to know?" Eriol said casually, avoiding the subject. True, Eriol hadn't leaked every single detail of his thoughts or what not. He felt if he did, Eriol would soon be making dinner too, in addition to the pancakes.

"I do! Get with the program!!"

Staying silent for a couple of seconds, Eriol poured some batter onto the griddle. In his mind, he tried to go back to the moment. In fact, it was simple; it was etched in his memory so clearly that he swore he could remember what the couple two tables away were eating. "She..."

"Yes...?"

"She...was...she just looked beautiful. Beyond that."

Syaoran nodded his head wisely, folding his arms. "Yes, I'll agree with that. Don't worry though, I won't steal your woman, seeing as I've got Sakura."

"My...woman?" Eriol repeated, one eye twitching.

"Sure thing. Anyways, we'll skip a little bit–"

"My...woman?"

"Eriol, listen, you don't want her to get snatched by some other guy, do you?"

"But–"

"And she's happy with you!"

"With me? What the hell are you talk–"

"It's as simple as that! You two were destined to be together!"

"Destined?"

"Soul mates. Y'know, all that boring shit. Anyways, it's as simple as that, you can't get away from each other!"

This made Eriol actually stop half-thinking about the pancakes. He raised an eyebrow. "We can't get away from each other, huh...? I wonder why...?"

Syaoran sweatdropped. 'Uh oh...looks like he's not as dense as I thought...'

"I don't think it'd be like you to skip out on dinner at _Ruby Moon's_..._Li_..."

'Oh shit...' Syaoran thought. He started to sweat profusely, knowing the secret would soon be out. 'Not good...'

Eriol's eyes narrowed, still locked on Syaoran. "Yes...very unlike you..."

Syaoran gulped but didn't blink. He tried to smile and laugh but no words came out. 'Dammit! He knows! I'm gonna be so screwed...'

"And how convenient that Tomoyo showed up..." Eriol seemed to purposely draw out his words, making Syaoran feel even more nervous by the second.

"Uh...heh heh...yeah?"

"And how convenient that she was going to meet Sakura..."

"..."

"And that Sakura couldn't make it...just like you..."

"Yeah...how, Small world, eh?" Syaoran tried to laugh. His words came out choked and raspy. He could almost feel a puddle forming in his lap from the sweat.

Flipping the pancake, but still keeping his eyes on Syaoran, Eriol's eyes were so narrow that they were reduced to slits. Syaoran thought he could see the sudden gleam in Eriol's glasses. Eriol took the last pancake, placed at on the stack and turned off the stove...all without taking his eyes away from Syaoran.

"Yeah...you and Sakura...both _bailing _out, huh?" Eriol leaned across the counter and stared into Syaoran's face.

"Bailing's a big word...I wouldn't call it that–" Syaoran said nervously. He wanted to get up and run but couldn't bring himself to do so.

"Leaving me and Tomoyo alone...you AND Sakura..." Eriol was glaring so hard at Syaoran that all Syaoran could do was sit frozen on his seat.

'Oh God...hear my prayers...' Syaoran desperately thought. He tried to avert his eyes up towards the ceiling, as if he were looking up at the sky. 'Sakura...I just wanted to let you know that I love you and wish I could've seen you one last time...'

"YOU–!" Eriol shouted.

Syaoran flinched. He knew the end was near...

"You sly dog you! You just wanted to get Sakura alone didn't you? Yeah, I thought so!"

"Eh?"

Next thing Syaoran knew was that Eriol had him in a head lock, nearly choking him.

"I knew it!" Eriol cried. He was laughing and ruffling Syaoran's messy hair, like a father would to a son. Among his laughing, he was wearing his signature 'evil smirk.' "So, was it her birthday or something? Did you take her out to some other romantic restaurant? C'mon, Syaoran! You gotta spill on the details!!"

Syaoran sweatdropped. 'Thank God you're so dense, Eriol. Looks like I'll live to see another day...'

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seriously, gomenasai, if this was honestly the most boring chap. as you know (from reading all the other chaps) that I like to have points where eriol consults syao (likewise with tomoyo and sakura) after some big deal. I mean, sakura and syaoran gotta be informed, right? they're the ones scheming the whole deal here!! –grins– lemme know what you thought and suggestions if any. I'll be back with tomoyo's and sakura's get-together and all that good stuff! review! ja!

oy! just wanted to drop another note for you guys to check out my other eXt ffic! it's called Smudged Love. I posted it a lil while ago and I need some feedback. lemme know what you think ov that, kay? xie xie!!


	16. Just the Girls and the Request

a quick thanks to AniMeAzN-5-14, Dragons Maiden, Mei fa-chan, Motoko Avalon, steelphoenix, s2LoVe-YoU-AlwaYs, and Ukari-chan. I love you guys mucho much! a note bout eriol's denseness: I just wanted a lil change from his 'usual' characteristics. he's still the same tho, ne? I hope you dint mind it too much and maybe liked the slight difference! –smiles–

again, if you wanna know when I update, leave your e address (nice an clear, onegai) and it'll start a whole mailing list! what fun! –grins–

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CHAPTER SIXTEEN: Just the Girls and the Request

The next day...

Tomoyo lay sprawled over her couch like she hadn't gotten up from it in years. Already, the couch had a molded shape of Tomoyo's body, all spread out. She still wore Eriol's pajamas, which deep inside, she had to admit, were extremely comfortable. But of course, this lay in the deepest part of her mind at the moment.

What she was brooding about at the moment, or more like for the past 24 hours (or more), about the incident in Eriol's bathroom. To much of Tomoyo's dismay, that particular moment kept replaying in her head, no matter how many times she banged her head off of the arm rest. Every second was captured in her mind. The moment the door opened...the moment Eriol's face appeared...the moment when he blinked...the moment she blinked...the moment all hell broke loose.

Still, Tomoyo couldn't believe how Eriol kept trying to explain himself, no matter how much she screamed or the number of projectiles she launched at him. "I was naked for crying out loud!" Tomoyo had told herself. "Couldn't he even _see _that?!"

Momentarily aside from all this madness, Tomoyo couldn't deny that those pancakes were very tasty. It wasn't like Tomoyo had never eaten chocolate chip pancakes before but these were especially good. She wondered what the secret ingredient was...what if it was drugs?! Tomoyo sat up instantly at this thought, thinking that she was drugged. Then, realizing that this idea was insane, she lay back down onto the comfort of her couch. Eriol didn't look like that kind of guy. He looked more...Tomoyo struggled to find the right word...

Again, distracted from the struggle to find the word, Tomoyo wondered what Eriol looked without glasses. After a couple minutes of thinking, she thought of 'hopeless' (in a "child-like" way) and 'innocent.' Then again, that's what she thought he looked like _with _glasses. Tomoyo chuckled to herself.

Another few minutes went by when Tomoyo was nearly drained of thoughts. Then, they started all over again. 'Click' went the bathroom door...a couple of blinks and a sweatdrop...a scream...a hopeless moron who couldn't cover his eyes...

"Augh..." Tomoyo groaned as she covered her face with her arm. All this thinking was making her sick.

With her face still covered, Tomoyo reached blindly over to her coffee table. This faithful table was littered with wrappers that once held chocolate. In the farther corner was an empty box that was also once filled with fancy chocolates. On the opposite end was Eriol's empty plate. Tomoyo's dress was draped over her arm chair. Her purse and shoes were tossed carelessly on the floor next to her. Clearly Tomoyo hadn't gotten up from the couch to do anything.

KNOCK KNOCK!

Tomoyo groaned again. She was in no mood, let alone dressed, for visitors. She jammed two pillows against her ears and rolled over onto her side.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK! The pillows couldn't block out the bashing that was going on at her doorstep. Tomoyo dearly pitied her door. KNOCK KNOCK!

One guess: it had to be Sakura.

"It's open!" Tomoyo called, deliberately muffling her face against the couch.

The door opened with a click. There went the 'movie' again...the door opened...Tomoyo blinked...Eriol blinked...Tomoyo opened her mouth to scream– "Stop it!" Tomoyo ordered herself.

"What'd you say?" said the voice. Yes, it was Sakura. And by the sound of the rustling plastic, she had brought some gifts.

"Nothing," Tomoyo mumbled. She curled herself into a ball, still facing the couch.

"Now don't you look comfy?" Sakura said as she peeked her head over the side. "May I inquire as to who those belong to?"

Tomoyo could automatically tell that Sakura's voice was teasing her. Tomoyo groaned again and scrunched herself into a tighter ball, hoping that Sakura wouldn't completely demand for details. But she knew that there would be no such luck.

Sakura set herself down onto the armchair. She cleared away some of the litter on the coffee table (by pushing it to one side, that is) and set her bag down on the space.

"Now Tomoyo-chan–"

"I don't want to talk about it," Tomoyo interrupted, her voice muffled. "I'm sure you've heard about it anyway."

"Me?" Sakura inquired innocently. Of course, Tomoyo was right; Sakura had leeched every little detail out of Syaoran. She just needed her facts verified from her most reliable source. "Now how would that happen?"

"Oh cut it out, Sakura-chan." Tomoyo still lay with her back to Sakura. "I'm not entirely stupid. Of course _Hiiragizawa_ would have told Syaoran by now."

"Yeah...?" Sakura made herself comfortable by leaning back into the chair and propping her feet up onto the table. She could tell it may take awhile to get Tomoyo to spill...but with the right tools...

"Yeah," was Tomoyo's reply.

Sakura sat patiently in the chair. She looked around the living room with a slight interest. A couple minutes went by. Sooner or later, Sakura knew, Tomoyo wouldn't be able to hold herself in. Soon, she would be gushing out all the minor but important details. Another few minutes went by.

"...Zzz..."

Sakura sweatdropped and her emerald eye twitched. "Hey you..." she said, a little irritated. She wrenched the pillow she was leaning against from her back and threw it at Tomoyo. "Hey! Wake up!"

"Eh?" Tomoyo woke with a start. She sat up, looking back and forth. "Huh? What's wrong? Huh? Sakura-chan? What're you doing here?"

Sakura sweatdropped again. It clicked in Tomoyo after a few seconds with Sakura staring at her. Tomoyo ran a hand through her rumpled hair.

"Um...what were we talking about again?" Tomoyo mumbled.

"We _weren't_," Sakura answered, a little more irritated than before. She sighed and rubbed her eyes. "Listen, I know that you went through a crazy ordeal–"

"'Crazy'? It wasn't even close to that!" Tomoyo cried, throwing up her hands. She already knew what Sakura was talking about. "It was more like unnerving! Not allowed! Insane! Pick what you like!"

"They all sound fine to me." Sakura calmly reached into her bag and pulled out a huge box of chocolates and a bottle of rum.

"Sakura-chan–" Tomoyo warned. "Don't you dare think that I'll tell–"

"Don't worry, I'm not trying to get you drunk. I think you just need something to calm you down." Sakura opened the box of chocolates, slid it across the table to Tomoyo, and opened the bottle of rum.

"You know I can't hold my liquor," Tomoyo complained. But even as Sakura handed her the opened rum, Tomoyo took it, taking a large gulp. She handed it back to Sakura as she wiped her mouth on the sleeve of her shirt. Correction: _Eriol's _shirt.

Sakura took the bottle, took a gulp herself, and leaned back into the chair. Then she sat back up to pop a chocolate into her mouth.

"Sof...sfhill." ("So...spill.")

Tomoyo rolled her eyes and also popped a chocolate into her mouth. Chewing, she started speaking. "Fvell, it kall starkid wef da dake at _Quby Moon's_..." ("Well, it all started with the date at _Ruby Moon's_...") Tomoyo gulped and continued her story.

Half an hour later...

Tomoyo and Sakura were sprawled over the couch and arm chair. The box of chocolates (which had incidently held 144 different chocolates) was now empty. Tomoyo had finished her story and she was laying on the couch like she had been doing for the past 24 hours with her arm over her face. Sakura was sprawled over the armchair in a similar style to Tomoyo's.

"When was the last time we got drunk?" Sakura mumbled. The chocolates and rum were starting to hurt in her stomach.

"We aren't drunk," Tomoyo protested without much force. "Besides, the last time was at Rika's and Terada-sensei's wedding. And we were only tipsy there."

"Nuh-uh," Sakura cut in. "You were all out drunk. You couldn't stop laughing when they cut the cake."

"So? You were laughing like hell too, Sakura-chan," Tomoyo mumbled back. "That didn't qualify as being drunk!" Tomoyo slowly got up and stumbled to the kitchen. She filled two glasses of water and returned. "I don't need another hangover." Tomoyo slid the other glass to Sakura.

"Oh? You had a hangover yesterday?" Sakura asked. Her eyebrow was raised as she took a huge gulp of water. She knew the answer.

"More or less. After what I went through, I feel like I had more than a hangover..." Tomoyo answered, feeling really sick. "I don't even remember drinking anything."

"Y'know...my stomach hurts..." Sakura said randomly. "Maybe I should've left all those chocolates to you."

"I think it was just from the laughing."

The two girls, after they downed the whole bottle of rum, already had a huge laughing spree and were bouncing off the walls like maniacs. Now that it resided, the chocolate seemed to want to take a different effect.

"What I just don't understand is how I got to his house in the first place," Tomoyo mumbled, downing some water. "He must've kidnaped me...maybe I'll file a report on him..."

Sakura's eyebrow raised as she was about to take a sip of water. "You really don't remember?"

"No. I almost forgot about it, to be honest. I was so caught up with _the _incident."

"That's right. You just mentioned the end of the date, then waking up all wasted and finding yourself in Eriol's condo. We-ird!"

"Yeah. Really weird." Tomoyo went to refill her glass of water.

Of course, Sakura didn't bring up the fact that she already knew how Tomoyo had ended up at Eriol's but she wasn't about to spill. She didn't want Tomoyo to agonize over the fact that she _did _get a little drunk and tipsy.

Tomoyo had ended her story earlier by explaining how she had gotten back home. She had explained that she walked as far as possible from Eriol's house (barefoot). Then she waited for some taxi to come by and take her home. Tomoyo had also mentioned the argument she had had with the driver over the 'no shoe' policy in the taxi business. Of course, Tomoyo _did_ have a pair of shoes but refused to wear them, stating that they didn't match her outfit whatsoever. Eventually, Tomoyo won.

"Don't think I'm stupid, Sakura-chan," Tomoyo said suddenly, plopping down on the couch. She sloshed water over herself. "I know what you're trying to do."

"And what would that be, dearest friend of mine?" Sakura asked in an innocent voice.

"I know you're trying to set us up. And Syaoran too. All these 'dates' aren't coincidences."

"Aw, Tomoyo-chan! Don't be that way!" Sakura cried, wearing a pout. "You know that I love you very much and just want the best for you!"

"You sound like my damn mother. Besides, I can find a guy on my own, thank you very much." Tomoyo sipped her water, drawing it out deliberately. She wasn't in the mood to get into a big argument.

"I'm just helping you guys get in the right direction."

"Um, we started _in _the wrong direction, don't you remember?"

"Puh-lease! That was only because you were pissed. If you hadn't been, everything would've been a complete fairy tale." Sakura shrugged as if this were all too obvious. "Haven't you noticed how things are going _now_?"

Tomoyo stopped drinking but didn't set down her glass. She eyed Sakura suspiciously.

"Forget the past, Tomoyo-chan. Some things aren't worth holding onto."

A moment of silence...

"No, cut that. Hold onto that. I think it's a good memory that you'll be happy to tell your kids someday. They'd like to hear how their mom and dad met," Sakura said thoughtfully. She tapped her cheek.

Tomoyo choked on her water. The remaining water in the glass spilled all over her.

"What the hell are you talking about?!" Tomoyo spluttered. She coughed, as the water went down the wrong pipe.

Sakura giggled. "Just a thought, dear cousin. Just a thought."

"That wasn't funny." Tomoyo glared at Sakura as she wiped her mouth.

"Well, since it seems like we've already been found out, why don't you do something yourself?" Sakura suggested. She swirled the water around inside her glass.

"What d'you mean?"

"Y'know, since you said you could manage things on your own, why don't you ask Eriol out?"

"Why Eriol?!" Tomoyo cried, exasperated. "Who ever said I liked him?!"

"Noone," Sakura answered delicately. "I think you owe him something–"

"I am _not _sleeping with him!" Tomoyo interjected heatedly.

"Oh you sick person you!" Sakura laughed. "I didn't mean it like that! I mean like invite him to the movies. Share some popcorn. I like the idea of dinner!"

"Psh. Yeah right. There's no way in hell I'm doing that."

"Well, don't say I didn't give you any advice. You owe him at least _one _thing. He put up with your explosions and he was sweet enough to get you that editing equipment." Sakura set down her glass and stood up. "He's a sweet guy."

"Whatever," Tomoyo answered, rolling her eyes. "It's a stupid idea."

"You're just too stubborn, Tomoyo-chan," Sakura called, walking to the door. "Sweet, but stubborn."

"I like being stubborn, Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo shouted.

Sakura laughed and waved. "Ja ne! And think about it!" The door closed.

Tomoyo sank deeper into the couch and pulled up her knees to her chest.

"I like being stubborn..." she muttered.

The next day...

Eriol leaned back into his chair. He threw down his pencil next to his blueprints and swivelled his chair to look out the window. It was such a nice day and Eriol regretted it for having to be at work. He looked at his watch. It would be lunch soon. No doubt Syaoran would soon come around begging for some money.

KNOCK KNOCK!

"Bingo..." Eriol muttered to himself. He continued to stare out the window. "It's open!"

The door opened.

"Listen, Syao, if you keep mooching money outta me, you might as well just give me your paycheck." Eriol took off his glasses and cleaned the lenses on his shirt. "Can't you get Sakura to make you lunch or something? It saves money."

"No, I don't think so."

Eriol's brow furrowed. "Are you sick? Your voice sounds really high pitched–"

"More or less. My voice always sounds like this."

Putting his glasses back on, Eriol stood up and was about to reluctantly agree to buying Syaoran lunch when–

"T–Tomoyo!" he choked.

Tomoyo was standing in his office, arms folded, looking somewhat grumpy. Her hair was up in a high ponytail and she was dressed down in what looked like comfortable scrubs. She was also carrying a large duffel bag.

"What–How–Why?" stammered Eriol. He was backed into the window, afraid that she was here to get her _real _revenge for the bathroom incident.

"Why d'you look so surprised to see me?" Tomoyo asked with a hint of annoyance.

Eriol calmed himself and started to breath. It looked like maybe she wasn't too angry with him. He wanted to ask how Tomoyo had found his office but thought better and played along.

"Actually, yes, I am." Eriol said this in a more relaxed voice. "Did you need something?"

"Actually, yes, I do." Tomoyo answered. Her grumpy look hadn't resided and Eriol was starting to feel a little nervous again. He shifted from foot to foot. He knew that there was nothing close to the size of his detergent jug in the office and he definitely didn't want that making impact with his stomach again. Tomoyo raised an eyebrow at Eriol. "What's wrong with you? D'you need some Pepto Bismol?"

"No! It's nothing! Nothing at all!" Eriol said a little too suddenly. He noticed that there _was_ something else bigger than the detergent jug; his computer. He casually walked towards Tomoyo, placing himself between her and his desk. Then he casually leaned against his desk and also folded his arms. "So what did you need?"

"That video editing equipment that you got me? There's something wrong with battery compartment. And I think the lenses are all screwed up." Tomoyo said this in her grumpy tone. "Could you possibly fix that?"

"Geez, Tomoyo, I don't know...I'm not really good with these electronic things."

"So you can't do it?" Tomoyo's voice almost stated that this was not a possible option.

Eriol ran his hand through his hair. "I'm just saying that it'd probably be better if you got someone who actually _knew _what they were doing—Did you call customer service?"

"I don't bother with that." Tomoyo waved her hand, as if it brush away the thought of calling customer service. "They give instructions over the phone and I can't manage that."

"Fine. I'll take a look at it." Eriol held out his hand but Tomoyo shook her head.

"I didn't bring it."

"Then why did you–" Eriol indicated her duffel bag questioningly.

"I have gym clothes in here. I just wanted to see if you could do it. If you couldn't, I was gonna go ask someone else. You don't think I'd want to lug that thing around, d'you?"

"No, I guess not...but I still don't think–"

"Great. Can you come look at it tonight? I wanna be able to use it soon."

"Well..."

Eriol looked up to meet Tomoyo's eyes. Her eyes were drilling into his.

"Sure thing!" he gasped.

"Good." Tomoyo strode to the desk and ripped off a piece of paper from a notepad. She drew a pen out of her pocket and scribbled on it. "Here's my address. Is 6:30 okay?"

"Um, sure. Whatever's good with you. After all, I'm the one coming over."

Tomoyo stood up right and looked at Eriol with a raised eyebrow. "Right..." she mumured, drawing out her word. She swept her hair and said, "I'll see you then. Ja."

She strode to the door, walked through, and closed it on the way out. Once the door closed, Eriol breathed out a sigh. He leaned further back onto his desk.

"What have I got myself into?" he muttered to himself. "I know nothing about fixing electronics!"

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clicky that button down in the left hand corner and review! I always love your feedback! as always, if you have suggestions or questions or what not, throw it in that review! ja ne!


	17. Lemons and Ice Cubes and Freezer Doors O...

personal thankies are at the bottom! check it out! along with an important note I want you guys to read too. I need your opinion!

ah! I have hit (over) 44 reviews! ji is overjoyed! –throws confetti– actually, I was just happy to have one review but this is better. y'see, 44's my lucky number and it makes me feel really special knowing that I've reached that number –smiles– here's a special thankies to Dragons Maiden who was my 44th reviewer! –throws confetti over Dragons Maiden– you lucky person you!

disclaimer: ah, I forgot to mention this. most ov this chappi and the ending (when tomoyo goes to see eriol at his office) are inspired/slightly based on this one episode of everybody loves raymond I saw –grins– I think it fits pretty nicely...so I decided to borrow it. don't sue onegai! (even if you do, you won't be getting much. maybe I'll give you my dog...–laughs–) I think you guys'll like it tho –grins like a moron–

for those ov you that commented on eriol's denseness before, I think you'll just _love _the moment here. (hey! it was in the episode so it wasn't me!)

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CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: Lemons and Ice Cubes and Freezer Doors Oh My!

6: 20 pm. At this time, Eriol was packing up and getting ready to go home. Home was Eriol's destination, until he saw Tomoyo's scribbled address on his desk.

'Almost forgot...' Eriol picked up the paper and slipped it into his pocket. 'She'd probably track me down if I didn't show up.' Eriol sweatdropped. He had to admit that he had (momentarily) forgotten about Tomoyo's visit. He was so caught up in the meeting that had lasted over two hours. Caught up in the sense that he was drifting off into sleep. Eriol shook his head. He couldn't even remember what it was about. "Hopefully it wasn't too important," he mumbled.

Packing away his blueprints, Eriol unbuttoned the top few buttons of his shirt. ('Lucky for me that I don't have to wear a damn tie.') Then Eriol shut down his computer, remembering to save some open files before doing so.

After Tomoyo had left, of course, Syaoran had showed up. He hadn't mentioned seeing Tomoyo, so Eriol assumed that Syaoran hadn't schemed up something stupid. Next to this, Eriol decided not to tell Syaoran about Tomoyo's visit. He was sure that if he did, Syaoran would go off in his little fantasies and laugh at Eriol saying "Oh, _sure _she really wanted you to fix that _equipment_! Bet she's inviting you for something _else_...!" Eriol could already imagine the little singsong voice Syaoran would use, saying this, equipt with a little dancing up and down and eyebrows raised.

"Yeah right," Eriol told himself out loud. He actually laughed at the thought of Tomoyo inviting him for 'something else.' "Like hell that'd ever happen."

'That's because you screwed up everything with her,' his mind told him.

"Damn right. I'm not gonna deny it."

'You're quite the baka though. Didn't anyone tell you that if you ever walked in on someone taking a shower, you're supposed to leave?'

"But she wasn't taking a shower!" Eriol protested. He locked up his office and made his way to the entrance.

'That's besides the point.'

"Am I talking to myself again?"

A few fellow employees that were still lingering stared at Eriol as he passed, talking to himself.

'Sure are. I'm trying to knock some sense into you.'

"No, thank you," Eriol said as he walked by a fellow worker.

"But I didn't offer anything..." the employee said, shooting Eriol's back a confused look.

'The point of the matter is that if you walk in on a naked woman, you're supposed to run out while apologizing like your life depended on it.'

"I did."

'No, you didn't. You stood their trying to _defend _yourself like your life depended on it.'

"My life _did _depend on it."

'On what? The fact that Tomoyo thought you were a pervert?'

"Exactly!" Eriol walked out the front door and dug into his pocket for his car keys. "I'm not that kinda guy!"

'I think you gave her the impression that you were a pervert by trying to defend yourself rather than running out.'

"Okay, okay. So I was stupid just to stand there but I was defending my honor!"

'You'll never get it, will you?'

Eriol shook his head. "Apparently I won't. And why the hell am I talking to myself?" Eriol unlocked his car and climbed in. He threw his stuff over to the back and pulled the scrap piece of paper from his pocket. He observed it for a moment.

After scanning his mental map, Eriol assured himself that he'd be able to find Tomoyo's condo in a snap. He'd get there on time, check out the equipment and be on his way. This was what he wanted...right? Eriol wasn't so sure. Half of him wanted to get the whole thing over with, a little apprehensive to the fact that Tomoyo might want to have him arrested on behalf of his "perverted act" but at the same time, Eriol couldn't help remembering what a good time the two had had at _Ruby Moon's Chance_.

"I mean, _I _had a good time," Eriol mumbled to himself. "Speaking of which...I never got that bill from Touya. I wonder what happened?"

–Sakura Flashback–

"What in all hells is this?!" Sakura screamed as she saw the contents of the mail she had just received. "Damn that onii-chan of mine...I'll give him a piece of my mind!"

Sakura ripped the phone off it's receiver and punched in Touya's number, fuming as she went. The phone rang for a little while before someone picked up.

"Yeah?" drawled the lazy voice on the other end.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WITH THIS PIECE OF SHIT YOU SENT ME?!" (On the other end, Touya wrenched the phone away from his ear, luckily not having his ear drums blasted out.)

"Why Sakura, my dearest little sister, it's a present from me to you. After all, you requested it, did you not?" Touya said in a sarcastically sweet voice.

"Like hell I didn't, onii-chan!" Sakura growled into the phone. "I have no obligations in paying this bill!" The bill from Eriol and Tomoyo's dinner crumpled in her hand.

"But you do. Weren't you the one that begged like no other for a reservation for Tomoyo?"

"Yeah, but I didn't say I wanted to pay the bill! Why didn't Eriol pay it?!"

"That's because Tomoyo passed out a little too tipsy and that poor Eriol guy had his hands filled. I couldn't _possibly _have stopped him. If I did, Tomoyo would've caught a cold. Now we wouldn't that for our dearest cousin, now do we?"

"Cut the innocent shit, onii-chan. I don't need to pay this bill. That is that."

"No can do, kaijuu. D'you know how much trouble I went through to get those reservations?"

"Oh, do tell, onii-chan," Sakura answered sarcastically.

"If you really wanna know, I had to bargain with our other hostess, that Akizuki girl, y'know? And she totally forced me to go on a date with her and–"

"I was being sarcastic, onii-chan."

"Yeah, I know. Anyways, you better pay that bill. It's for Tomoyo and that Eriol guy, isn't it? Besides, I like that Eriol guy–"

"It's Eriol, you baka. Not 'that Eriol guy'."

"Right. Anyways, you're the one that decided to play matchmaker. It's the least you could do. Ja ne, kaijuu!"

And with that, Touya hung up. Sakura was left staring at the phone, one hand clutching the bill. Sakura sighed and hung up the phone. She un-crumpled the bill and looked at it. Sighing again, Sakura brushed her hair back with her free hand.

"Dammit," she mumbled, "if I had known this was coming, I would've told Tomoyo-chan and Eriol to sit down, drink water, then leave!"

Sakura threw the bill onto the kitchen counter and left. The bill was sure enough crumpled but that didn't smear the total bill: $144.00 even.

Just because _Ruby Moon's Chance_ was a café by day didn't change the fact that by night, it was a five-star restaurant, high prices included in the bundle.

–End Flashback–

Five minutes later, Eriol turned onto a road filled with nice condos. Checking the number again, Eriol pulled to a stop in front of Number 44. Triple checking the address, Eriol confirmed that this was it.

"Five minutes early," Eriol told himself proudly. "Does that make me look eager? Maybe I should be late instead? Or I'll just sit here 'til it's time?"

As Eriol contemplated these questions, he threw his arms in the air.

"What the hell is wrong with me? Just go in and get in done. It's not like she invited me for a cook-out or anything."

Clearing his throat, Eriol walked up the path to the door. Then he contemplated buttoning his shirt back up and then decided against it.

'Don't wanna look too formal,' he thought jokingly. He pressed the doorbell and waited.

After waiting for a couple of seconds, the door opened.

"C'mon in. The equipment's on the coffee table," Tomoyo said, getting right down to business.

"Oh, okay."

Tomoyo stood back to let Eriol in. As Eriol walked by, he caught a whiff of a familiar lemon scent.

"You look nice, Tomoyo," Eriol said politely.

"Oh...um, yeah. Thanks," Tomoyo mumbled as she shut the door.

No longer wearing her slacks, Tomoyo was wearing a simple purple sweater with a dark pair of jeans that had tiny sequins up the one side of the leg. Plus, her hair was also no longer in a ponytail; she wore it down, nice and straight.

"You said the equipment was on the coffee table?" Eriol asked.

Tomoyo nodded. As Eriol went to check it out, she busied herself in the kitchen.

"I hope this isn't inconvenient for you," Eriol called to Tomoyo. "You weren't in the middle of dinner, were you?"

"I was just starting to make it," Tomoyo called back. "Don't worry about it. I was the one that asked you over, remember?"

Eriol sat himself on the couch and picked up the equipment and examined it. He was still worrying about the fact that he knew nothing about fixing things, let alone electronics. For the time being, he set that in the farthest part of his mind and focused on what he was capable of.

As a few minutes went by, Eriol checked almost every possible aspect of the equipment. He asked Tomoyo if he could possibly borrow a tape to experiment. Tomoyo approved and Eriol proceeded.

"That's strange..." he murmured to himself. He adjusted his glasses and went through the process again.

Another few minutes went by when Eriol stood up, scratching his head.

"Tomoyo?"

"Nani?" Tomoyo called back.

"I can't find anything wrong with the equipment." Eriol walked to the kitchen, making sure that Tomoyo could hear him properly and hopefully would comprehend the situation. He really wasn't fond of the idea of Tomoyo storming back to his office and accusing him of further damaging her equipment.

"Oh really?"

Tomoyo's back was to Eriol as he approached the kitchen. She was busy with something on the stove.

"Yeah. I checked the battery compartment and it seems to be working fine. Maybe you should just charge the battery longer?" Eriol suggested.

"Yeah...I'll do that..." Tomoyo said, her words drifting off. Her back was still facing Eriol.

Waiting for her to continue, Eriol stood at the entrance. He leaned against the doorway and folded his arms.

"Like I said," Eriol continued, unsure if Tomoyo was going to say anything, "I'm not expert with electronics but I think it'll be okay to use."

"Oh my. Looks like I cooked a little too much," Tomoyo said in a (unnecessary) loud voice. "Um, would you possibly like some?"

"Me? Oh sure. Just wrap it up and I can eat in the car," Eriol answered.

Tomoyo sweatdropped. Gritting her teeth, she took a breath. She turned around and forced a bright smile. Through clenched teeth she said, "You can just eat it here if you want..."

"Don't worry. I don't want to bother you," Eriol answered, grinning at her.

Tomoyo sweatdropped again. "You wouldn't be bothering me," she assured, a little more calmly.

Finally, (slightly) getting the hint, Eriol smiled again. "Sure. Can I help you with those dishes?"

"That'd be nice," Tomoyo replied, also answering with a smile. She gestured towards the plates and dishes that she made.

As the two finished setting the table, Tomoyo asked, "D'you want something to drink?"

"Yeah, what d'you have to offer?" Eriol said in a formal tone.

"Certainly not wine!" Tomoyo joked back.

"Thank goodness," Eriol said, giving a sigh of relief. "I don't think that'd be safe! Especially with you..."

"I know I got a little tipsy that night," Tomoyo said, a little embarrassed. She walked back to the kitchen with Eriol following her. "Gomen...if I embarrassed you or caused you any trouble."

"Not at all." 'She really doesn't remember much, doesn't she? I'm surprised that she hasn't asked how she got to my condo...so I guess that means I shouldn't mention her behavior in the fountain or the fact that she kissed me...' Unknowingly, Eriol blushed.

Tomoyo turned around and was about to tell Eriol what was available in the fridge when she noticed that his face was red.

"You okay?" she asked, her face tinted with slight worry. "You're face is a kinda red."

"No!" Eriol replied, snapping back to attention. "Nothing's wrong!"

Tomoyo, still a little suspicious, waved her hand towards the refrigerator. "I've got plenty of different drinks in there. Here." She handed Eriol two glasses. "Can you fill my glass with some ice? Thanks." She went to the silverware drawer to pull out some utensils.

Opening the refrigerator, Eriol looked through his options. Finally, he grabbed the pitcher of lemonade and set that on the counter. Then, he opened the freezer door (not really hearing the slight 'WHACK' as the door hit Tomoyo's face when she had turned around or the 'FLUMP' as she hit the floor), and filled both glasses with ice.

As he closed the door, Eriol looked down and–

"Oh my–Tomoyo! Are you okay?!" Eriol hastily set down the glasses on the counter and crouched down to help Tomoyo sit up.

"Erm...I think so." Tomoyo had one hand on her forehead, wincing slightly.

"Gomen, Tomoyo!" Eriol cried. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Tomoyo chuckled and replied, "I'm sure. Don't worry!"

"You sure?" Eriol's face was still stricken with worry.

"I just bumped my head, that's all!" Tomoyo laughed.

"Lemme help you up." Eriol stood up and offered Tomoyo his hand.

Tomoyo took it and Eriol pulled her up. Perhaps Eriol pulled too hard because he tripped backward and dragged Tomoyo with him. From the kitchen came a deafening crash.

"Aw man..." Eriol groaned. He tried to sit up. This proved difficult, having a pretty-much grown woman on top of him. Eriol rubbed the back of his head, sure that there was a bump. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Tomoyo groaned. She also tried to lift herself up but instead of her hand finding steady ground on the floor, her hand pressed hard into Eriol's stomach.

"Tomoyo," Eriol groaned, "if you push any harder, I'm quite sure that the contents of my lunch will empty out on your back."

"Ahh! Gomen!" Tomoyo cried. But instead of getting up and letting Eriol get some air, she continued to sit on top of him, laughing.

"This isn't funny," Eriol grumbled. He tried to feel the back of his head again. Yes, there was the bump. Eriol hoped he didn't permanently damage his brain.

"Gomen!" Tomoyo said, in between laughs. She got off but remained sitting on the floor. She wiped her eyes. "It's just that we always seem to end up in these weird situations."

"Damn right..." Eriol mumbled (not in an angry way). "Why is it that almost every time, I end up having to support your body weight?"

Tomoyo's eyebrow went up.

"Ah! Gomen! That didn't sound too right, did it?" Eriol laughed. "What I meant is that I always have to carry you around or something! And just now, you fell on top of me! Oh, my poor back!"

Tomoyo laughed again. "What d'you mean you always have to carry me?"

"Well..." Eriol hesitated on mentioning the incident at _Ruby Moon's Chance_, remembering that Tomoyo had no idea how he ended up at his condo. "For instance, the time at _Kero's Electronics_? You fell asleep and collapsed onto the floor. D'you remember that? I carried you out of the store and drove you to Sakura's."

"Um...I don't really remember that. Then again, I _was _sleeping."

"That's okay. No matters, you're pretty light as it is."

"But you were just complaining!" Tomoyo cried in a teasing voice.

"I sure was," Eriol said, smiling. He got to his feet and once again offered his hand to Tomoyo.

"Is it safe?" Tomoyo inquired, one eyebrow raised.

"I hope so. If my back collapses, I can't guarantee anything."

"I think I'll risk it."

Again, Eriol pulled Tomoyo to a standing position.

"Ah, looks like your back's still intact." Tomoyo swept back her hair.

"Well, if it wasn't, you _do _know how to dial 911, right?" Eriol teased.

Tomoyo rolled her eyes. "If I wanted to, I might be able to manage..."

"Eh?! What d'you mean?" Eriol cried. His hand was clasped over his heart, face of mock shock. "You'd leave me here paralyzed?!"

"Oh c'mon. Paralyzed or not, the food's getting cold," Tomoyo responded in a cheery voice.

Finally, after getting their drinks, the two set off to eat the dinner that Tomoyo made for one.

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clicky that review button and lemme know what you thought! suggestions are welcome! til the next chappi—ja ne! I mentioned that this fic is just bout over, right? –sniffles–

**minna! this is important! (to me at least) remember touya mentioning a date with nakuru in sakura's flashback? I was thinking I could write a fic with those two, kinda putting in "side-chunks" ov this fic in there (they won't be entirely the same ov course, seeing as they'll be from a different pov) so, would you guys read it? even if you wouldn't, d'you think it's a good idea? I've been pondering it for awhile an decided to let you guys answer for me. what d'you think? I'd really appreciate it if you'd guys comment on this! thankies! –smiles– **

personal thankies:

anonymous: haha. I'm lovin the name. thankies and keep reading onegai! there's not much left, really, but you can hang on, right? –grins–

AutumnIllusion: hiiiii!! I missed you! like really! you nice person you! going bac to review the other chappis! how was that vaca you mentioned? I was all worried, thinking that my writing went down the gutter as the chappis went on and was all –sniffles– thinking you thought my chappis were crap but tha's all kay now!! –laughs– glad to hear you're back! thankies so much! (and don't worry bout getting behind. no biggy)

BGR: you honestly do not understand how happy I am to hear how much you laughed! I sound so sappy but really, it tells me that another person out there appreciates my humor! I hope you'll continue to read! xie xie!

Dragons Maiden: ah, to see eriol make a fool ov himself is joy, ne? –laughs– again, you get an extra thankies for bein my 44th reviewer. maybe I'll send you cookie...–grins– thankies again!

Mei-fa chan: thankies for staying with me in this fic! I'm always happy to see that you're still reading!

mimika: aiya! you're too nice! thankies so so much! I hate to say that this fic is just bout done but keep on reading! an I hope you'll check out my other eXt fic! all in all, thankies cuz you are just so nice!! –grins–

Ukari-chan: heh heh. how'd you like it? with the equipment NOT broken? heh heh. thankies as always to you!

s2LoVe-YoU-AlwaYs: thankies for thinking so –sweeps into bow– did you get that comp fixed yet? I feel like sucha loser submitting your reviews!! –sweatdrops– nyahaha. thankies jules!


	18. What It Really Means

**READ THIS FIRST ONEGAI! (I meant the stuff below...)**

I really wanted you to know that number one, I am so sorry on how OVERLY LATE this chappi is. second ov all, I am not pleased with this chappi. I have rewritten this one so many times it has driven me insane. so please do not be angry with me if you find it quite, to be straightforward, a piece ov shit. I had trouble debating on how to bring this story to a close and all ov my ideas weren't working. actually, what you'll read _was _my original idea but somehow it just dint turn out the way I wanted it to. regardless, it is done but please do not base this last chapter on the way I write my stories –sniffles– keep that in mind as you read. I had some serious ass trouble with this chap but this is the finished result (which is better than what I had earlier –sweatdrops–)

now! the BIGGEST ov thankies to everyone! this is to those who reviewed, those who read it without comment and those who have stuck with me. I loved writing this fic so much and after all, it was my first one! it's very special to me and with all your encouragement, I was able to be inspired and write. this is dedicated to everyone.

here's an extra special dedication to AutumnIllusion. why? that would be because she was my very first reviewer and a loyal reader from the start. she stayed with me in my sorry excuse for fanfic and she always left nice reviews! a ton ov thankies go out to you and thanks for always encouraging me in my chappis! thankies so much! –grins–

**I left all you guys a (general) message at the end. read it onegai! my last request! ov course, along with the story...**

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CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: What It Really Means

A bright and sunny day. What could be any better? Eriol wasn't sure how to answer this question. What he _could _answer was why in all hells was he stuck in a stupid meeting while the weather was so nice.

Actually, no. He couldn't answer that question. He just knew that the meeting wasn't where he wanted to be. End of story.

'Why isn't this over yet?' Eriol whined mentally. His eyes kept straying towards the windows and longing to be outside and enjoy the warm rays of the sun. Or he could just be in his office. Anywhere would be fine, as long as it wasn't the stupid meeting.

To be precise, Eriol knew where if he wanted to be. Or specifically, _who _he wanted to be with. He would've loved nothing more than to be with Tomoyo. He realized even more than before, after his "dinner-date" with her a few days back, that they were fated to be–

"Hiiragizawa!" barked a voice.

"Hai!" Eriol instantly responded, snapping his attention back to the boss.

Eriol knew he was gonna get it this time. Just like the last time and the time before that. Letting his mind wander off during a board meeting was a risky thing. He'd already been threatened with his job before. Not like they'd let him go of course, but one can never be sure...

"CONGRATULATIONS!!" all of Eriol's fellow co-workers cried. Their happy faces beamed at him and everyone exploded into applause.

"Umm..." Eriol started. "I–"

"You're the one!" the boss cried. He was also clapping his hands and a warm smile shot right into Eriol's face.

"Um–I am?"

"Of course!"

"What am I?" Eriol asked sheepishly. He wasn't too sure that he was enjoying all this random applause.

"What are you?!" the boss boomed. "The lucky one!"

"Oh. Right..."

"Bring me back a souvenir!" called a couple of co-workers. Their faces were beaming as they filed out of the conference room, chattering excitedly. Eriol caught a few, "Aw man. That lucky bastard. I wish it were me. But he deserved it!" and "I hope he doesn't find a girlfriend there..."

"Huh?!" Eriol said to himself. "What the hell..."

"I think I wouldn't mind a souvenir either, Hiiragizawa," the boss said, clapping Eriol on the shoulder. "Best of luck and make the company proud. You can go see Naoko up front and she'll give you the info."

With that, Eriol was suddenly left alone in the conference room, surrounded by big cushy chairs and a huge table.

"NANI?!!" he shouted. "I DON'T GET THIS!!"

Minutes later at the front secretary's desk...

"Oh. I get it. Thanks a ton, Naoko."

"Sure thing. Congratulations, Hiiragizawa-san." Naoko smiled widely. "Make sure you read all the information in there. I don't know what else they've thrown in."

Eriol smiled gratefully and said, "Yeah. Thanks again. And Eriol will do."

Taking the thick packet and folder, Eriol made his way back to his office.

It had all happened so fast that Eriol had totally forgotten about it; the big trip to Australia. Once every four years, a lucky employee (preferably a very experienced one in his field as an architect) was sent to the huge convention at Sydney to represent the company. The convention lasted a month where all the best and most unique architects were represented. That was also where (if lucky), a big job could be bagged. Another possibility was getting into a major company, a big chance of a lifetime. Yes, a serious, honest to kami-sama life changing experience. And it was waiting for someone.

And Eriol was that someone who had bagged it. Unfortunately, Eriol had completely forgotten all the details and had to review them once he got home.

'Maybe I could just leave now? Like early...maybe it's too early.' Eriol glanced at the clock in his office. It read 2:20. Eriol sighed. 'It's not like I have anything to do...I've already turned in my blue prints...'

Eriol glanced at the door, then back down at the folder. If he had to go through all this information, why couldn't he be comfortable when he did it?

Sighing, Eriol decided to leave. It's not like he had anything else to do...

As Eriol had stepped out the entrance and made his way towards his SUV, Naoko knocked on Eriol's office door and peeked in.

"Hiiragizawa–I mean Eriol–" Naoko stopped short. She adjusted her glasses. "Oh shoot..." she murmured. "He already left. I guess he'll find out when he reads the packet..." Naoko turned around and shut the door. 'You'd think Boss would be kind enough to tell him...let alone remember!'

Back at Eriol's condo...

Eriol couldn't help thinking that as exciting as this opportunity was, the papers and packets were as boring as hell to read.

He had his feet propped up into his coffee table while sitting his 'more or less' comfy arm chair. He was also sipping a huge mug of black coffee. Around his chair was all the scattered papers Eriol had already gone through.

"Ah! Finally! The dates and companies!" Eriol exclaimed happily.

He was anxious to see what large companies would be there. If he saw what he wanted, Eriol knew he'd try his hardest to impress the representatives and hopefully be recruited into an even larger company.

Eriol set down the paper as he thought of something. If he acquired a new job, that would most likely force him to move...right? As far as he knew, the current company he worked for was the only architectural company in the area. Moving would mean moving away from Tomoyo...Eriol wasn't sure how Tomoyo felt about him but Eriol–

BRRING BRRING!

Sighing, Eriol got up to pick up his phone. It took awhile, seeing as the phone wasn't on the receiver.

"Dammit," Eriol mumbled as he tried to follow the sound of the ringing. He followed it upstairs into the bathroom. What his phone was doing in the bathroom, Eriol had no idea. Nor did he really want to know.

"Yeah. Eriol speaking."

"DUDE!!"

"Ack! Syaoran, onegai!" Eriol rubbed his ear, dislodging his glasses at the same time. "Y'know, even though we're the same age, I _am _older than you and seeing as I'm an _old _man, you need to be careful of my ear drums. I _do _want these to last me when I grow all old and crippled–"

"Eriol! Will you quite yapping? Geez..."

"Gomen. I think I'm just a little too...too..."

"Excited?" Syaoran put in.

"I think. I tend to mumble and go off in random thoughts when I'm–"

"I got the point. You're excited. I mean, who wouldn't be?!"

"I gather you found out?" Eriol put his glasses right.

"Um yeah! That's why I'm calling you, you dumbass!" Syaoran said sarcastically.

"Now now. No need for name calling, dearest cousin," Eriol replied in a sickly sweet voice.

"Don't do that, Eriol. That makes my stomach hurt."

"Oh good. I'm glad it worked."

"Will you just shut up for a minute?"

"No. Do I ever?"

"Just shut up!" Syaoran shouted down the phone (receiving a glare from Sakura). "Listen, you did read that you're supposed to catch the 4:44 flight? Today?"

"NANI?!!"

"Yowch..." Syaoran mumbled.

Even Sakura had flinched, hearing it too.

"Yeah. I guess your good ol' boss was a little too excited to even tell you. You can thank Naoko up front. She told me–"

"I HAVE TO LEAVE TODAY?!"

"Will you keep it dowm?! Geez!"

"But that means–"

"Yeah. You better get that sorry ass of yours moving and packing or else you'll miss your flight–"

"Not that you baka!" Eriol shouted back. Right now, he was jumping up and down, flapping his arms, looking like a total wreck. (Not to mention a total fool.)

"Eriol, I can totally see you jumping up and down and flapping your arms like a complete fool–"

"Shut the hell up, Xiao Lang."

Syaoran shut up. He knew that things got serious when Eriol called him 'Li' but things were even more when he got called his Chinese name.

"Is everything okay?" Sakura called from the living room, looking a little worried.

Syaoran shrugged. This wasn't the answer Sakura wanted. If Sakura could hear Eriol, of all people, on the other end, something must've been drastic. So instead, she picked up the other phone and tuned in.

"This means–this means–" Eriol stuttered.

"C'mon! Get it out!" Syaoran said impatiently.

"Syao!" Sakura said through the other phone indignantly. "Give him some space!"

"I'm going to be gone a whole month...this means..."

"What does it mean?" Sakura asked soothingly. "Breath, it's okay–"

"It means I'll be gone a whole month!!" Eriol wailed.

Syaoran and Sakura sweatdropped.

"Meaning...?" Syaoran prompted.

"What if Tomoyo finds herself a boyfriend? Or some other guy?!"

"Listen to yourself, Eriol–" Syaoran started, shaking his head. He was about to open his mouth and say, "You sound like a freaking moron," when–

"Oh no!" Sakura cried.

"What's wrong?!" Syaoran shouted down the phone (forgetting that Sakura was in the next room over).

"Eriol's right! We can't let this happen!"

"Eh?" went Syaoran, staring at the phone.

"If Tomoyo-chan loses Eriol, everything'll just go bad!" Sakura cried.

"What the..." Syaoran muttered.

"What am I gonna do?!" wailed Eriol (really going insane).

"Don't worry! We'll figure something out!" Sakura cried confidently (defying what she really was thinking).

Syaoran sweatdropped. 'This is turning out to be a soap opera...' After letting Sakura and Eriol have their little out-bursts of ridiculousness, Syaoran said, "Does this mean you confess to having feelings for Tomoyo?"

"Of course you baka!" Eriol and Sakura shouted together.

Syaoran was expecting a more 'refined' way of saying it from Eriol (or even a, "Why of course, my dearest cousin. You didn't think otherwise did you?"), but given the circumstances, Syaoran let it pass

"Okay! Here's the plan! You pack your things and me and Syaoran'll go kidnap Tomoyo-chan!"

"Eh?" went Syaoran.

"But I need to leave for the airport!" Eriol cried, wringing his hair out.

"Don't worry. Count on me. We'll get Tomoyo-chan to the airport one way or another. You don't have time to call her! And things'll be way more romantic if you confess your love to her in person!" Sakura said, nearly not understandable with the speed she was talking at.

"Hopeless romantic is what you are..." Syaoran mumbled to noone in particular.

"I got it! I'm counting on you two!"

'Click.'

With a sigh, Syaoran put the phone down and folded his arms. He looked over into the living room at Sakura. Sakura was pacing around the furniture, phone still clutched in her hand. Her emerald eyes expressed all sense of worry.

"Saku–"

"No time to waste!" Sakura cried.

In a flash, Syaoran found himself being dragged to his SUV and Sakura's pink cell phone being jammed in his face.

"Call Tomoyo-chan right now!" Sakura commanded. "We're driving over to her condo right now!"

"Don't you think this is overdoing–"

"NOW!" Sakura roared.

"Hai!" Syaoran squeaked.

Again, back at Eriol's condo...

He trusted Syaoran and Sakura but he felt empty in doing nothing but packing. Packing for something that may change his entire life.

"I'm being ridiculous," he mumbled to himself. "I'll just be gone for a month..."

After saying that, Eriol went up in hysterics again.

"A whole month!! By then, Tomoyo'll have found another boyfriend!!"

Eriol's mouth shut as fast as it had opened.

'Is that what I am? Her boyfriend?' Eriol smirked to himself. 'Yeah right. I only wish. But...'

Eriol plopped down onto his arm chair. He covered his eyes as he leaned back into the pillows.

'But I feel like I don't want to leave...leaving her feels like I'm leaving a part of me behind...'

He glanced at his clock through his fingers. It read 3 on the dot. Sighing, Eriol knew he really had to get going. Despite his regret for leaving Tomoyo, he really did want to go this convention. Sighing again, he trudged up the stairs to back his bags.

Meanwhile, in an illegally zooming, dark green SUV...

"It's only yellow!" Sakura bellowed at Syaoran (even though she was the one driving).

Some major beeping and honking occurred as Sakura sped through the intersection.

"It's no use," Syaoran said. "I keep getting her answering machine."

"KEEP TRYING! TRY HER CELL PHONE!"

"I already did!" Syaoran protested, defending himself. "She's not picking up!"

"THEN KEEP CALLING 'TIL SHE DOES!"

As for Tomoyo, she had no clue that she was currently the most wanted woman in town. (Wanted by Sakura, Syaoran and last of all, Eriol, of course.) As for her not picking up her phone at home, she wasn't at home. As for her not picking up her cell phone, she had left it on silent and it was sitting in her purse, which happen to be in a locked up room completely opposite of where she was.

What Tomoyo was doing in this most dire moment of urgency was she was at a fashion premier show. It was showcasing some of her latest work (of what her mother had accepted) along with some other fellow designers. She was here to gather ideas of what the next seasons fashions would be.

'Dammit. This is as boring as hell,' Tomoyo thought as she watched another model walk down the runway with one of her dresses.

Normally, Tomoyo loved to be at these shows but she had seen the weather today; it was too beautiful to be indoors. She resolved that once she got away, she'd go for a run.

Which was probably the last thing she should have thought about doing.

Back with our illegally zooming SUV...

Sakura pulled into Tomoyo's driveway with such a loud 'SCREECH!' that Syaoran was sure that she had melted off all the rubber on his tires.

'I just got those tires too...' Syaoran thought as he saw some steam (most likely from the burned rubber) out his window.

"Tomoyo-chan!" Sakura roared. She was pounding on the door. "OPEN UP DAMMIT! I know you're home!"

Her screaming earned some reproachful looks from the neighbor. Syaoran tried to smile at the passing neighbors, including the ones that were peeking out from behind their window curtains.

"Sakura..." he hissed, touching her shoulder lightly. "Calm down..."

Sakura whipped around and glared so harshly that Syaoran froze on the spot. To put it into perspective, he was sure that was how a frog felt when it was being stared at by a snake.

"TOMOYO-CHAN! IF YOU DON'T OPEN THIS DAMN DOOR, I'M GONNA BREAK IT DOWN!"

Silence. Sakura cracked her knuckles.

"FINE!" she shouted.

"Sakura–"

WHAM!

The sound was so loud that it shook the leaves off of some near by trees.

Her back was still to Syaoran. Plus, the door was still on it's hinges.

"Sakura? Honey?" he started cautiously.

Sakura's shoulders shook.

"Sakura? You okay?"

From Sakura, there was some quiet laughter. To Syaoran, it sounded slightly hysterical and it freaked the hell out of him.

Then, Sakura's (hysterical) laughter became louder and she whipped around. Her fist (the one she used to 'knock down' Tomoyo's door) punched the air as she shouted, "I'LL FIND YOU, TOMOYO-CHAN! I WON'T LET ERIOL LEAVE WITHOUT YOU HEARING HIS CONFESSION TO LOVE! I'LL FIND YOU WHEREVER YOU ARE!"

Syaoran sweatdropped. 'Soap opera all the way...'

Back with our refined gentleman in glasses...

"What am I going to do?!" Eriol wailed, one hand pulling out his hair, the other throwing in a bottle of shampoo into his suitcase.

(Or maybe not so refined.)

As Sakura screeched away in the SUV with Syaoran leaving a message on Tomoyo's machine and cell phone, Tomoyo was on her way back to her purse.

She was just brainstorming a great idea for a dress. She loved it so much that she decided she would spare some of her time to get it down on paper before she left. As Tomoyo settled herself on the chair where her purse hung, she opened to a fresh page of her sketch book and started to draw.

At 3:20, Sakura had already covered much of the town. Syaoran was sure that he had left about 100 messages on the machine and cell each. Sakura was making her way around and in the meantime, Eriol was finishing packing up.

Eriol was lugging one huge duffel bag and one huge suitcase down the stairs. Mentally, he was going crazy. He didn't even take time to ponder on why he was acting like this; he already knew the reason deep down.

He knew more than anything that he should be heading to the airport. He knew he'd have to go through security and all that good stuff that took up the time he needed most at this point. Dressed in comfortable jeans, a dark blue tee-shirt and his usual running shoes (good traveling clothes, put all together), he felt he was ready to go. He glanced at his phone. He also took a moment to curse the fact that he never replaced the cell phone that Tomoyo had thrown at him. (Why his cell phone was in his bathroom, he had no idea. The fact of the matter was that it was broken.)

Taking one last glance at the clock, Eriol decided to make a choice. A month was a long time and this was the most he could do, before going completely insane of worry.

He picked up the phone and dialed a number from a scrap piece of paper he had got from Sakura a while back.

By 3:40, Eriol was already unloading his luggage from the trunk of his SUV and pulled out his passport. By 3:50, Sakura and Syaoran had already circled the town four times, all luckily avoiding any police cars. By 4 o'clock, Tomoyo was on her way back to her condo. (Too bad for Sakura and Syaoran that she was on the complete opposite side of town as they made their fifth round.)

As Tomoyo walked through the front door (also wondering why there was the slightest dent of all dents in her door), she threw down her purse and jacket and raced upstairs.

Five minutes later, she raced down the stairs looking like she was ready for a good long run. Which she _was _ready for. Which was also not one of Sakura's list of 'What-in-all-hells-could-Tomoyo-chan-be-doing List.'

Tomoyo filled up a glass of water and chugged it down. She wiped her mouth, set the glass down on the counter and whisked past the answering machine. Locking up her door, Tomoyo looked up at the sky. She frowned when she saw some distant clouds. She loved the rain but this wasn't the time she really wanted it to fall. Ignoring it, and estimating the clouds to hit only in an hour, Tomoyo ran off towards the river path.

Meanwhile, back with the green SUV, accompanied by a nice police car–

"I swear, officer, I was only chasing this taxi where I had left my purse," Sakura explained sweetly, leaning out of the car window.

Syaoran was rolling his eyes to himself. Even he didn't buy that one. The police officer stood unmoving with his arms folded, Sakura reflected in his dark shades.

"Taxi with your purse or no taxi, you ran quite a few red lights."

"Oh really?" Sakura smiled sweetly. "I'm pretty sure, officer sir, that they were yellow. I for one, have never ran a red light!"

Syaoran snorted. Fortunately, the officer didn't notice. But this didn't get Sakura off the hook.

"Not to mention they were all at busy intersections?"

"'Busy intersections'?!" Sakura gasped. Her hand went to her cheek. "I'm sure you can understand! I had no idea! Me and my honey here are new in town."

"Uh huh..."

Syaoran knew the officer wasn't buying a single one of it. He just knew that they'd be receiving a huge ticket with an even huger amount to pay.

Ten minutes later...

"Damn that Officer what's-his-face!" Sakura growled as she turned the ignition back on. "He's probably made me miss Tomoyo-chan! Syao! Get back to calling!"

Sighing, Syaoran didn't protest. He tucked the ticket onto his overhead visor and pulled out Sakura's cell phone. He didn't dial but waited as long as he dared. His fingers were getting tired of pressing the green call button every few seconds.

At this point, the clock had just turned to 4:20. Eriol had just made it through security and finally had made it through the maze of an airport to find his flight.

Sighing, and thankful that he had made it with twenty minutes to spare, Eriol looked out the huge, story high windows.

'It's going to rain...' he thought, realizing that the sun had decided to take it's leave for the day. His eyes narrowed, though not to focus in on anything. "It's going to rain..." he murmured, speaking his mind.

Without another word, he plopped down into a squishy seat and waited for the flight to come.

And rain it did. Lightly at first, then increasingly harder through the next fifteen minutes. Tomoyo was just running up her walkway as the rain really started to pour. She was soaking wet and having long thick hair didn't help much.

"Geez. So much for sunny weather!" she said aloud, shutting the door, deafening the sound of pounding rain.

Tomoyo grabbed a fluffy towel from her downstairs bathroom and attempted to soak up the water. As she ruffled through her hair, she noticed the answering machine light blinking.

Hitting the button, she listened to the messages.

First one was: "Tomoyo-chan, are you back yet? How did the show go? I hope you got some ideas–"

Recognizing her mothers voice, Tomoyo erased the message and made a mental note to go visit her up at the store later.

Next one was: "Hey Tomoyo. It's Syaoran. Just wanted to let you know–" Syaoran's voice was suddenly cut off and Sakura's voice entered the picture. At least, Tomoyo thought it was Sakura's voice. "TOMOYO-CHAN! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?! GET YOUR ASS OVER TO THE AIRPORT RIGHT NOW DAMMIT! Oh shit...gotta pull over..." In the background, Syaoran's voice said, "I _told _you to slow down!" and the message ended.

"What the hell was that about?" Tomoyo murmured. She went to the next message.

The next one was Syaoran again but Tomoyo skipped it. She wasn't really sure what to think. Sakura's outburst had kind of scared her and she decided to call later. She skipped through more of Syaoran's starting messages until she hit a different voice. Tomoyo had nearly skipped it.

"Hey Tomoyo. It's Eriol..." There was a slight moment of silence. "Um..." Eriol chuckled. "I sound stupid don't I? Well, um, I guess the fact of the matter is that I bagged this trip to go to this convention thing in Australia. For work, obviously. Not a vaca or anything." Eriol laughed but Tomoyo could catch the tint of nervousness. "Um, yeah. I'll be gone for a month. Yeah...obviously you're not home...I was kind of hoping I could see you before I left. I'll admit I was going a little crazy." Eriol chuckled again. "A whole month doesn't seem like much, I know, but it does to me. 'Cause I'll be away from you and that's the whole point of my call."

Tomoyo had stopped drying her hair and her towel and fallen to the floor, soaking up the puddle she was creating from all the rain water.

"It's weird for me to say this. But I'll just do it for the hell of it. I really need you to know that...um...ano...Tomoyo, I'm pretty sure of this...and I don't think my feelings will change...but I love you."

Tomoyo had taken a step back away from the machine as if she expected it to blow up. The message kept rolling.

"It's kinda funny, since we got off on such a weird start. Remember at _Ji-Chan's? _Well, meeting you that first day (if that counts as a meeting) I felt that you were worth spending time with. And I _did _mean it, when I told you that I'd be there for you when you needed to get out some anger. With each meeting, even if it felt like it was set up by Syaoran or someone–"

'Looks like he isn't _that _dense,' Tomoyo thought.

"–I just felt like there was something between us, y'know? Not even a spark. That doesn't describe it. Maybe bigger than that." Another chuckle. "I probably sound so stupid right now. I could keep going on how I feel, Tomoyo. Honestly. But I really needed to get that off my back. I don't know how you feel about me but I just wanted you to know. I'll admit I was a little spastic on you possibly finding a boyfriend while I was gone but...I'm gonna shut up for now. Um...yeah. My flight's at 4:44 so I gotta head out now. Maybe I'll call you sometime or something...I dunno. Just stay single 'til I get back, 'kay?" Tomoyo could tell Eriol was smiling while he said this line. "Ja!"

"Message ended, 3:24," the machine voice chirped.

Tomoyo stood frozen on the spot. All the pounding on her roof was droned out by her ears. All she could hear was that phrase: "I love you." Her hand was clutched at her chest.

'Why...?' she thought. She closed her eyes as she felt tears spill from her eyes. 'Why...why is this turning out this way?'

Stop standing there you stupid girl!

'Oh no...my other mind is talking...'

HIS FLIGHT LEAVES IN LESS THAN TEN MINUTES!

Tomoyo's eyes snapped open.

'But do I need to go...?' Tomoyo slowly closed her eyes again. The salty tears slid down and onto the corners of her mouth. 'How _do _I feel?'

Tomoyo could feel her chest constrict.

"A whole month..." she whispered. "'Stay single 'til I get back'..." she repeated. 'STOP IT!' she mentally screamed. 'THIS DOESN'T MAKE SENSE!'

It doesn't need to! Tomoyo's other mind screamed back.

'I don't understand...why does he love me? Of all people?!'

Quit whining and suck it up! Think about it while you drive to that damn airport!

Tomoyo's blurry eyes focused on the clock: 4:39.

"Shit..." she mumbled. "It takes at least ten minutes to get there..."

Without another word, Tomoyo (still dripping wet) grabbed her purse and ran out to her car.

In the green SUV that was now driving according to the law–

A tune of what sounded like Fur Elise was ringing from Sakura's cell phone. As Syaoran looked at the screen, it read Tomoyo-chan's Cell.

"Tomoyo?!" Syaoran cried. (He didn't want to admit it but he was caught up in this whole ordeal too and didn't want to see it crumble).

"Syaoran!" Tomoyo cried back as she took her other hand off the wheel to flick on the windshield wipers to 'high.' "I just got all the messages! And I heard about Eriol! What the hell is going on?!"

"What's going on is that you need to get to the airport!" Syaoran said urgently. "His flight's leaving in less than ten minutes!"

"Lemme talk to her!" Sakura shouted.

"Keep your eyes on the road!" Syaoran ordered. "Tomoyo? He's taking Flight 44 to Sydney, Australia. Just make sure you get there!"

"I will! Arigatou!"

Syaoran gave a sigh of relief as the back of his head hit the head rest.

"Let's go home, Sakura."

"Nani?" Sakura wailed. "But I want to–"

Syaoran smiled and shook his head.

"Don't worry. She'll make it. It'll all be alright."

Sakura looked into Syaoran's chocolate brown eyes and finally nodded. She gave a small smile.

"You're right. It'll be okay."

Sakura also turned the windshield wipers up to 'high' then turned to Syaoran with a sly grin.

"After all, we helped scheme part of it, didn't we, Syao?"

Syaoran couldn't help but smile. "We sure did..."

Back with Tomoyo...

She took all the shortcuts she knew to make it to the airport. She didn't even take time to argue with herself about how she really did feel. Everything was happening all too fast and all she knew was she wanted to see Eriol, even if she didn't feel anything.

Lucky for her, she sped along the highway, skipping up on the rush hour traffic. If she deserved anything other than a major speeding ticket, it was an award for making it to the airport in record time: 4.44 minutes on a ten minute drive. She came to a screeching stop at the sign that read 'Australia Airlines: Flights 40-44'and clambered out, not even bothering to lock the doors.

"Miss! Miss! You can't park there!" an official called.

"Then park it where it can be!" she roared back without turning her head.

Tomoyo wove in and out of numerous people on the escalator, leaping dangerously over their luggage and bags. She came to a slight stop at the top, whipping her head back and forth, looking for 'Flight 44' and also spraying the people down below with some water from her messy ponytail.

Spotting it, she sprinted faster than she had ran that day towards the waiting area. Her worst fears were confirmed as she saw that noone was sitting in that area and the clock above read: 4:50.

What made her cringe even more as she ran was that she could see a plane with the huge logo of 'Australia Airlines' speeding down the runway...and lifting off. Tomoyo slammed into the glass windows right when the wheels of the plane left the ground.

"No...no..." she said as her hands pressed against the cool glass. "No...no...it can't be..." Tomoyo's knees gave way and she slid to the floor, hands dragging on the glass. Her vision blurred as more tears formed.

"No...I'm too late...I...I...NOOOOOOOO!!" Tomoyo screamed as she banged her fists against the window. She leaned her forehead against the glass, letting the tears drop into her lap. She hiccuped once and sniffled. "Dammit...I'm always too late...DAMN YOU ERIOL HIIRAGIZAWA! DAMN YOU!"

Tomoyo no doubt was making a huge scene but she didn't care. She realized it even more than before that–

"Tomoyo?"

Tomoyo's eyes snapped open and went, "Eh?!" She turned her head around to look at the speaker. She really didn't see much, except for a pair of jeans and a pair of familiar looking running shoes. A little too familiar. She looked up and her jaw dropped.

"Tomoyo? You okay?"

Tomoyo stood up slowly, her stringy hair falling over her face.

"Tomoyo?"

"YOU BAKA!" she screamed.

"Eh?"

The next thing the owner of the 'too familiar running shoes' knew was that Tomoyo had flung herself at him, nearly knocking him backwards. Plus dislodging his wire-rimmed oval glasses. If that wasn't enough, Eriol found himself with a face full of wet hair and a sobbing girl kissing him to death.

"To–mo–Tomo–" Eriol tried to say. It was a little hard to speak with Tomoyo's soft lips pressing against his so hard, as if she had been dying to do so for her whole entire life.

"E–Eriol!" Tomoyo sobbed as she _finally _stopped kissing the extremely confused guy and clung onto him. "G-gomen! I didn't realize–"

"Tomoyo! Calm down," Eriol soothed as he tried to regain his breath. He rubbed Tomoyo's back comfortingly and used his other hand to push away some hair from Tomoyo's wet face.

"I–I–"

"Shh. Calm down first. Breath."

Tomoyo clung to Eriol as she silently sobbed for a few minutes. Finally, hiccuping, she looked up at Eriol. He was amazed how beautiful she could look, even after bawling her eyes out. Her lavender eyes were shiny and Eriol swore he could see a reflection of sadness and near regret.

"Why are you hear, Tomoyo?"

Tomoyo's lip quivered before she finally spoke.

"I got your message...I was so scared–hic–that I'd lose you. I–I didn't realize–hic–"

"D'you want to sit down?" Eriol asked softly, brushing away the remaining tears from Tomoyo's eyelashes.

Shaking her head, Tomoyo took a deep breath. She manage a slight smile.

"I'm not sure how to explain it myself..." Tomoyo paused and took another deep breath. "But the thought of losing you..."

Eriol waited patiently as Tomoyo closed her heads and tilted her head back, as if she were trying to stop more tears to fall. He brushed away more strands of Tomoyo's hair from her face.

"The thought of losing..."

"Hai?"

"The thought of losing the only other guy I can _almost _beat at Soul Calibur is unbearable!!" With this last line, Tomoyo broke down into a string of tears again.

Eriol sweatdropped.

"Umm...ano...Tomoyo?"

Sniffling, Tomoyo looked up. The corner if her lips curved up slightly.

"That means I love you too, you baka," she said softly, but her voice was filled with utmost sincerity that Eriol almost caught the hint of challenge.

He grinned in return, understanding it.

"So what you're saying is that until you beat me at Soul Calibur, you won't love me anymore?" Eriol teased.

Tomoyo shot a mischievous grin at Eriol.

"As long as you never get sick of it, I'm _pretty _sure I'll love you...of course, you'll have to let me win once in awhile..." Tomoyo teased back.

Eriol laughed and Tomoyo smiled as she clung to him, holding him as if she never wanted to let go.

"Oh no!" Tomoyo exclaimed, jumping back. "Your flight!"

"Hmm?"

"Baka! Your flight to Australia!" Tomoyo cried, worry clouding her eyes. "You missed it! What're you going to–"

"Oh that!" Eriol laughed. "That plane that took off? That wasn't my plane. It said _Austria _Airlines. My flight got slightly delayed because of the rain."

Tomoyo blinked. "Austria...?"

"Yeah. Funny how things look blurry when it rains, huh?"

Tomoyo's eye twitched.

"So you made me create a whole scene and make a fool of myself...for nothing?" Tomoyo asked slowly. The scene of her screaming and pounding on the glass was only starting to sink in. For all she knew, her car could have been towed away and she could have been taken away by security for mental unstableness.

'Uh oh...' Eriol thought.

Tomoyo stood for a moment, her eyes shadowed by her hair. But then she giggled.

"I never knew that the affects of love could be so dramatic."

Eriol smiled. He enveloped Tomoyo in his arms and breathed in the smell of her hair. It smelled like the fresh rain and slightly like lemons. Like it had before, and the time before that.

"We are now boarding for Flight 44 to Australia. I repeat, we are now boarding Flight 44 to Australia. Again, we are sorry for the delay."

Tomoyo looked up at Eriol. Eriol's eyes were looking over at the line of people, waiting to board.

"Eriol?" Tomoyo whispered.

Eriol's eyes seemed so distant to her. She hated the sadness she saw. A whole month normally went by so fast for her...but now...

Tomoyo buried her head into Eriol's chest, telling herself that Eriol loved her too and that she had nothing to worry about.

"Tomoyo...?"

"Don't say it. Just go. I can wait." Tomoyo gave a brave smile and prayed that she wouldn't cry again. If she did, she'd be dehydrated for the next couple weeks.

Again, Eriol looked over Tomoyo's head. Then he looked back down. He smiled.

"Tomoyo–"

"Don't. Onegai...I just want to let you know that–"

Shaking his head, Eriol interrupted her. "Don't speak. It's okay. I know what you're thinking."

"What am I thinking?" Tomoyo knew this was selfish but if she could keep Eriol for a minute longer, she would risk it.

Eriol shook his head again, a bemused smile playing with his lips. He took Tomoyo's hand, went to this duffel bag, shouldered it, and said, "C'mon."

"Huh?"

"Let's go."

"Where?!" Tomoyo cried as Eriol started to drag Tomoyo off.

Stopping, Eriol turned to face Tomoyo with a surprised look on his face.

"Didn't you challenge me to a game of Soul Calibur?"

"Eh?!"

Smiling, Eriol turned back around and dragged Tomoyo behind him, _away _from the Flight 44 waiting area.

"Eriol! Stop! You can't do this!" Tomoyo cried. She felt like a wave had fallen over her heart. "This is the chance of a lifetime! You can't miss it!"

"Hmm? What d'you mean?" Eriol stopped again.

"You _have _to go! This could be your whole future we're talking about! The chance of a lifetime, right?!"

"Right..."

"If you miss it, I'll never be able to forgive myself!"

"What d'you mean 'miss it'? I didn't."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"_You_ were that chance of a lifetime, Tomoyo. You mean more to me than a job. Taking the plane would mean I would miss my chance. Now I don't have to worry 'bout that."

Tomoyo stood with her jaw dropped.

"B–b–but–"

"But nothing, Tomoyo. C'mon. You need to dry off or else you'll catch cold."

"Ano...are you sure, Eriol?"

Eriol didn't answer. Finally, Tomoyo decided to stop being dragged behind and walked in step with Eriol, weaving her fingers through his.

She wasn't sure how she felt; of course she knew that she loved him. Everything from the start was the odd beginning to a very strange love. Strange in how it started, that is. But she understood what she loved about Eriol. She understood her stubbornness deep inside that refused her from even thinking about liking Eriol, let alone loving him. Tomoyo knew that she loved how he could make her smile. Or make her laugh, despite any situation. She knew she loved him for all the little things about him. And she wasn't sure if she would ever admit it, but she loved how they kept getting caught up in odd situations and kept bumping into each other. She loved it all.

"Hey." Eriol's voice brought Tomoyo back to her sense.

"Hmm?"

"Need something to warm you up?" Eriol indicated the coffee stand ahead of them. Ironically, it said _Ji-Chan's_...

Tomoyo couldn't help grinning.

"I do believe I owe you a latte, miss," Eriol said in a gentlemanly voice.

"Why thank you, kind sir," Tomoyo replied, sweeping into a bow. "But I'd prefer to have something else, if you don't mind."

"Whatever my lady pleases. Now what shall it be?" Eriol said, his azure eyes shining with amusement behind this oval rim glasses.

Tomoyo's eyes sparkled as she stood on her tiptoes and leaned in to Eriol, as if telling him a great secret.

She squeezed Eriol's hand slightly, feeling the warmth that flowed into her body. She smiled to herself and whispered softly.

"Black coffee."

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

okay. I know it went fast. I had trouble in dealing with separating it into different chaps but realized that I might as well throw it all into one for the sake ov you guys. feel free to completely flame me if you think this chap went in a real shitty way. I won't mind. so–look down to the next general message and a question–

**SHOULD I HAVE AN EPILOGUE?** DESPERATELY NEED SOME OPINIONS ON THIS. mind you, if I do, it might take a while to get out. I'm currently hella busy but if I get enough people to say that they'd like one, I'll write it up.

guys, I want an all-out honest review on what you thought ov this whole fic. if you've been telling me you love it just for the sake ov being nice, now is the time that I want you to tell me that I need to go work on my writing skills –grins– honestly. tell me what you liked best an what not. don't forget suggestions on what I should improve on. I love you guys so much an I hope you'll read some ov my other fic! –winks– so, that means I am outta here an I'll be seeing you (hopefully) in a different fic! ja ne minna! thankies from me to you x10000000000

check out **Possibly Impossible** if you like touyaXnakuru and you'll get to see some side views from here in Coffee Stains! (like when sakura begs touya for the reservations to ruby moon's and a lil ov touya's pov on eriol and tomoyo's date there!)


	19. Never Changing

OMG!! I can't believe no one said "wow, that last chapter sucked some serious ass. if you even think about writing an epilogue...–menacing glare–" so it wasn't that bad, huh? –smiles widely– thankies so much!! –tears– I honestly wasn't happy with it, but hey! if you guys liked it, tha's all that matters!

please check out my other fics too, kay kays? I currently have one other eriolXtomoyo fic going (but planning another one very soon) and one touyaXnakuru fic (which slightly ties in with Coffee Stains). I'd love to see you guys there!! –winkwink–

again, this epilogue is dedicated to everyone who has reviewed, read this story, even thosewho actually _considered _reading this story! you guys made this story possible!!

and I know epilogues are generally like, years after the story...most ov the time. but mine's only gonna be a couple months later. just wanted to clear that up.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

EPILOGUE: NEVER CHANGING

As Tomoyo strode past the living room, she suddenly came to a stop. She shut her eyes, trying to drink in what she was hearing. It almost made her feel weak in the knees. Nevertheless, she held a tight grip on the huge cardboard box that she was holding.

'It can't be...' she thought.

She scrunched her eyes together, hoping the sound would go away. It didn't. She felt as if someone had taken her heart and had given it a good squeeze. It hurt that bad. Taking a quiet deep breath, Tomoyo set down the box in the hallway and tiptoed back towards the entrance of the living room; she didn't want to be heard.

Tomoyo peeked around into the living room.

'It's true...' Tomoyo thought, her fears confirmed. She tried to resist screaming. She almost couldn't believe it. But it was happening right before her face. Right in front of her. She couldn't believe Eriol would even have the nerve...after all they've been through.

Tomoyo tiptoed around the littered boxes, some already open, some still filled with goodies for the living room. She quietly edge her way around the couch.

'I cannot believe it...' Tomoyo thought. She almost started crying.

Tomoyo stood tall. Instead of crying–

"GUILTY!" bellowed Tomoyo. She pounced onto Eriol, knocking him sideways.

"Ahh! It's not what you think!!" Eriol cried, trying to shield himself.

Tomoyo knocked the controller out of his hands and pinned Eriol to the ground.

"I simply cannot believe you," Tomoyo said in a dangerous tone. "You promised. You promised, dammit all!"

Eriol tried to smile. "But Tomoyo dearest–"

"Oh no you don't!" Tomoyo growled. "You promised you wouldn't touch the PS2 until everything in the kitchen was unpacked!"

Eriol pouted. "I couldn't help myself..."

"Is that so? And what about me? You don't see me trying to break the team battle record!"

Eriol sighed. "Okay okay. Gomen ne, Tomoyo."

"You think sorry's gonna cut it?!" Tomoyo cried. Her grip on Eriol's arms didn't slack. She had his arms pinned to the ground and at his sides.

Sighing again, Eriol rolled his eyes. "C'mon Tomoyo. Don't be this way."

"How did you _expect _me to react?! It's a little hard to walk by and hear you pounding on the controller buttons without stopping! You think putting the TV on mute's gonna help?!"

Somehow, Eriol managed to slip one of his arms out of Tomoyo's grasp. He brushed away strands of Tomoyo's hair and tucked it behind her ear.

"Are you just jealous, _Tomoyo_?" Eriol's azure eyes sparkled.

"Don't try that cute act on me, Eriol. It worked once but it won't fall through again."

"Don't deny it, Tomoyo," Eriol whispered. "You're just jealous that I more of my time attached to the _PS2_..."

Tomoyo just glared at Eriol, trying to make him feel guilty.

"I'll admit to hooking up the console _without_ your permission. And yes, I broke our promise as to not to play until things got cleaned up." Eriol gave an exaggerated sigh before continuing. "But you know how I am, Tomoyo. Don't you? Hmm?"

"Tell me," Tomoyo almost hissed back.

"I just can't drag myself away from my _beloved_. And you know it."

"You promised, Eriol. And don't even think about trying to break that record again. You've already broken the survival and death match records. It's not fair."

Eriol smiled. "Don't pout that way, Tomoyo. It makes you too irresistible."

"Don't try it..." Tomoyo threatened. A crime such as this would not pass easily. A promise was a promise. Catching Eriol play Soul Calibur was just like finding out he was having an affair.

"Oh? Shouldn't I?" Eriol asked playfully. In turn, he grabbed Tomoyo's arm and tugged at it, making her locked elbows give way.

"Eriol!" Tomoyo cried, exasperated. "I still have to unpack the upstairs bathroom!"

"So take a break..." Eriol whispered in her ear.

"I can't..."

"Why not?" Eriol's lips brushed against the side of Tomoyo's ear. She tried to stay in control of herself.

"Because...just because."

"Hmm. I think spending some quality time with _your _beloved is more important than setting up the shower."

"Hmph." Tomoyo rested her head on Eriol's chest, hearing his heart beat at a slow pace. "And what makes you think _you're _my dearly beloved?" Tomoyo asked in a challenging (yet playful) tone.

Absentmindedly combing his fingers through Tomoyo's hair, Eriol thought for a moment.

"Because I'm just so damn handsome that you can't keep your hands off me?" Eriol asked hopefully.

"You must be talking about the controller," Tomoyo laughed. True, she couldn't keep her hands off of that new DualShock 2 Controller but...

Eriol couldn't help but chuckle. Tomoyo found Eriol's free hand and wove her fingers through his.

"What's it been now? Four months? Five?" Tomoyo whispered.

"Since what?" Eriol whispered back. "And why are we whispering?"

Tomoyo lifted her head and gave Eriol a small kiss on the tip of his chin. "Because we feel like it?" she whispered back.

"Sounds good to me."

"Since that time at the airport."

"Four months."

"You're right..."

The two lay in silence, Tomoyo resting on Eriol, listening to his steady heartbeat. Eriol continued to run his fingers through Tomoyo's hair, tucking a few strands behind her ear every now and then.

Tomoyo sighed and closed her eyes, taking in Eriol's smell. He smelled like oranges, as usual. It lingered all over his clothes and hers, as a matter of fact. She loved that detergent smell. It was better than any cologne could possibly do.

Exactly four months had passed since that rainy day at the airport. Four months since Tomoyo and Eriol confessed their love to each other.

'It almost feels like it was yesterday...' Tomoyo thought.

Her mind went blank for a second as she focused on Eriol's breathing. His chest went up and down steadily, just like his heart.

After that day, Tomoyo had forced Eriol to go to Australia. She had called up the company and apologized for Eriol, declaring that he would be late to the convention but would make it nonetheless. Of course, Eriol had had no idea about this. Not until Tomoyo had quite simply kidnaped Eriol and sent him to the airport, luggage and all. And of course, Eriol had protested but Tomoyo had confidently said there was nothing to worry about. They were in love. It was signed and sealed. As Eriol left to board his plane, he had turned around and looked at Tomoyo with longing eyes; Tomoyo knew what he was thinking. She knew he was thinking that leaving could be a mistake. Like he was taking what he could have had away with him to Australia.

Tomoyo had smiled and called out, "I PROMISE TO STAY SINGLE IF YOU WILL!"

Eriol had a shocked look on his face when he heard this. He hadn't expected Tomoyo to cause _another _scene in the airport if she had pulled that off the day before. Sure enough, people had turned their heads in their direction and stared.

"IT'S A DEAL!" he shouted back. "I'LL EVEN THROW IN A ROUND OF SOUL CALIBUR!"

Tomoyo grinned. "MAKE THAT TWO!"

And with that, Eriol had left, feeling reassured and more confident than ever.

The month Eriol was gone left Tomoyo lonely. She had Sakura and Syaoran, no less, but to all lovers, there was nothing better than being with the one you loved most. But regardless, the month passed by quicker than expected.

With Eriol's return, he announced that he successfully advertised their company very well and many company's were eager to have them design some building plans.

To top off the night in celebration with the four good friends, Eriol had proposed to Tomoyo. After Sakura and Syaoran left, Tomoyo and Eriol went for walk to Clow Park and sat on Spinel Sun Bridge, talking like they had never been apart.

There, he presented the ring to Tomoyo and she burst into a fit of tears. The ring was simple, but beautiful. A diamond with two amethyst stones on its sides. It was also on this night that Eriol had also admitted to hearing her sing, on the very same bridge. Tomoyo nearly died of embarrassment. (Eriol wasn't too sure why her face had gotten so red. He was pretty sure that she herself knew that she was excellent at singing but this was how Tomoyo was. Never boasting and very modest.)

Soon afterward, Eriol and Tomoyo decided to move in with each other. There was some controversy over where the two should live (Eriol's or Tomoyo's) and some other little things...like whose PS2 console got to be set up with the big screen TV and whose had to be left upstairs in the bedroom and such.

With the two living happily, the two found a charming house, perfect for the two and couldn't resist buying it. And that was to this point. The two had just started moving in and were moving around boxes. They decided to worry about the wedding later. Sure enough, it was approaching but less stress was the best way to go. (Neither could deny that they were extremely excited.)

And to this point, Tomoyo had caught Eriol playing Soul Calibur before all the boxes were unpacked.

"Ne, Eriol?"

"Hmm?"

Tomoyo sighed and traced random hearts onto Eriol's shirt.

"Is something wrong?" Eriol asked, concern in his voice.

Tomoyo almost laughed. "Nuh-uh. Geez, you're so paranoid."

Poking Tomoyo in the side, Eriol growled, "Not as much as you."

"Oi! Don't do that!" Tomoyo giggled. She hated when he did that. The ups and downs of being ticklish.

"Don't do what?" Eriol cried, tickling Tomoyo.

"No! No!" Tomoyo cried laughing. "Onegai! Have mercy!" She squirmed and almost burst into tears from laughing so hard.

This time, Eriol pinned Tomoyo to the ground. Tomoyo was still laughing and her laughter started to reside into giggles.

"Definitely not fair," Tomoyo giggled, gasping for breath. "Definitely not."

Eriol smiled down at her.

"You're right. It's not fair. So what's wrong?"

Tomoyo gazed thoughtfully into Eriol's eyes. Eriol's own searched Tomoyo's eyes and suddenly he felt his stomach drop.

"Oh no...Tomoyo..." he whined.

Pouting and giving him a set of puppy eyes, Tomoyo pleaded. "Eriol...c'mon. Onegai..."

"Nope. Not this time of day. I'm not in the mood."

One of Tomoyo's arms slid from Eriol's grip. Tomoyo reached up and her hand ran through Eriol's hair.

"For me?" Tomoyo asked sweetly. "Y'know you want too..."

Her hand smoothed over the nape of Eriol's neck and he could feel the hairs there stand up.

"Don't use that voice with me, Tomoyo," Eriol warned. "Don't make me–"

"Onegai?" Tomoyo tilted her head slightly.

Blowing up his bangs from his face, Eriol gave in.

"Fine." Eriol used his 'why do you always do this to me' and 'it's not fair' voice.

Tomoyo's face broke out into a grin.

"Aren't you just sweet!" Tomoyo gave Eriol a quick peck on the lips. "Now you know I like extra chips, right?"

"Yeah yeah. Whatever."

Eriol stood up and run his own hand through his hair.

"We've got the ingredient, don't we?"

"Sure do!" Tomoyo cried energetically, jumping up. "The flour and chocolate chips should be on the counter and the mixing bowl should be in the island cupboard–"

"Yeah yeah." Eriol waved his hand and wore a bored face. "Whatever you say." He turned around to leave for the kitchen when Tomoyo leapt onto his back.

"Awww. C'mon Eriol. Don't be this way..."

"Why does this conversation sound familiar?" Eriol responded, using a teasing voice.

"That's because it is! Now hurry up. I'm hungry!" Tomoyo released Eriol and landed lightly onto the floor.

"Psh. Who eats pancakes during this time of day anyway?" Eriol mumbled as he trudged towards the kitchen.

Tomoyo folded her arms and smiled to herself as she saw Eriol's retreating back. Eriol disappeared into the kitchen and Tomoyo could hear him rummaging in the cupboards. Tomoyo closed her eyes for a second and leaned her head back, still smiling.

Opening her eyes, a sneaky grin crossed her face. Tomoyo peeked open an eye and listened. Now Eriol was pouring chocolate chips into the bowl and he was mumbling to himself about how no sane person could eat pancakes for breakfast _and_ lunch.

Tomoyo tiptoed back into the living room and sat quietly in front of the TV screen. She picked up the controller and quietly pressed the 'start' button. She chose her character and started to play as quietly as she could when–

"TOMOYO!"

Tomoyo couldn't help but throw her head back and laugh; some things never change.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

and that is the official end of Coffee Stains. I really hoped you enjoyed it as much as I loved writing it. thanx for all the support on doing the epilogue and I hope this met your expectations. I'll admit I had loads ov fun writing it. It showed even more of tomoyo and eriol's fun side. I would greatly appreciate your feedback!

hopefully I will see you in some other fics ov mine! ja ne!!

with much love–azuremiko


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